GB2164325A

GB2164325A - Child-resistant cap and container

Info

Publication number: GB2164325A
Application number: GB08511544A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Henryk Dudzik
Original assignee: Mardon Illingworth Ltd
Current assignee: Impress Sutton Ltd
Priority date: 1984-09-11
Filing date: 1985-05-07
Publication date: 1986-03-19
Also published as: GB8511544D0; GB8422883D0

Abstract

The container has a neck (30) provided with a screw thread (32) and an arcuate rack (33). The cap screw engages with the neck and has a skirt portion (15) which encircles the neck in alignment with the rack. Slots (17) define a resilient member (20) which is provided with a pawl (22) which engages with the rack. The member also has an outwardly projecting part (21). The resilient member (20) biases the pawl to engage the rack to prevent unscrewing of the cap from the neck. The pawl can be released by depressing the projecting part (21). <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Child-resistant cap and container This invention relates to a child-resistant cap and container.

It is known to use a pawl and ratchet mechanism for making it difficult for a child to remove a cap from a neck of a container. In one arrangement, the container neck has splines and receives a splined collar, so that the collar is non-rotatably mounted on the neck. The cap has a ratchet around the inner circumference of its rim and the cap and the neck complementary screw threads.

The collar has a tab provided with a pawl. As the cap is screwed down, obliquely angled faces of the ratchet teeth engage an obliquely angled face of the pawl and ride over the pawl, the tab being inherently resilient to permit final screwing down of the cap. The pawl, therefore, is resiliently engaged with the ratchet and prevents unscrewing of the cap. In order to unscrew the cap, it is necessary to depress the tab to disengage the pawl.

It is possible for a child to hold down the tab with one hand, whilst unscrewing the cap with the other hand. The present invention provides an arrangement in which this is not possible, greater dexterity being required to unscrew the cap.

The present invention provides a child-resistant cap and container in which the container has a neck and the cap and the neck have formations which engage during relative rotary movement of the cap and the neck to secure the cap on the neck, the container being provided with an arcuate rack of teeth around at least a portion of the neck and the cap being provided with a resiliently movable portion which carries a pawl and biases the pawl into engagement with the rack in the secured position of the cap on the neck to prevent removal of the cap, said portion having a manually engageable part for holding the pawl out of engagement with the rack to permit removal of the cap.

With this arrangement, the manually engageable part is not stationary relative to the container as the cap is turned to remove the cap. The pawl, therefore, has to be held out of engagement with the rack by the same hand which rotates the cap.

This procedure is particularly difficult for a child to carry out, not only because of the manual dexterity required, but also because of the small size of a child's hand.

It is preferred that the neck of the container is provided with the rack and the resiliently movable portion biases the pawl generally radially into engagement with the rack. The cap preferably has a skirt provided with a pair of parallel slots defining the resiliently movable portion therebetween and the manually engageable part is integrally formed with the resiliently movable portion and projects radially outwardly from the skirt. It is also preferred that the manually engageable part is depressable in the direction towards the container to disengage the pawl from the neck. The rack may be integrally moulded with the container.

In an alternative embodiment, the rack is provided on the container body adjacent the neck and the pawl is biased generally axially into engagement with the rack.

Reference is now made to the accompanying drawings, wherein: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of the invention showing a cap and container neck, with the cap displaced from the neck; Figure 2 is a sectional view of the first embodiment showing the cap engaged with the neck with a pawl in engaged position; Figure 3 is a sectional view of part of the cap and neck of Figure 2, showing the pawl in disengaged position; Figure 4 is a sectional view on the line IV-IV of Figure 2; Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 1 of a second embodiment; and Figure 6 is a side elevation, partly in section of the second embodiment with cap and neck engaged.

Referring to Figures 1 to 4, the cap 11 comprises a top 12 and a skirt 13. The skirt has a main portion 14 separated from a rim portion 15 of slightly larger diameter by a circumferential shoulder 16.

The rim portion 15 has a pair of parallel axial slots 17 and there is a break in the shoulder portion 16 between the slots, so as to define a hinged portion 20. The cap is moulded from a resilient plastics material, so that the hinge is defined by material of the cap itself. A depressable portion 21 is integrally formed with the hinged portion at its free end remote from the hinge, the depressable portion extending radially outwardly from the skirt. The hinged portion is provided with an integrally formed tooth defining a pawl 22 which extends generally radially inwardly of the rim portion 15 of the skirt. The pawl has a radial face 22a and a relatively oblique face 22b . The main portion 14 of the skirt has an internal screw thread 24.

The neck 30 is integrally moulded with the body 31 of a container. The neck has external screw threads 32 for engaging with the screw threads on the cap. An arcuate rack 33 of teeth extends partly around the outer surface of the neck. The circumferential extent of the rack is determined to facilitate removal of the container from its mould. Each tooth 34 projects generally radially from the neck with a radial face 34a facing in one circumferential direction and an opposite relatively oblique face 34b facing in the opposite direction.

As the cap is screwed down on the neck, the pawl 22 engages with the rack and the oblique face 22b rides over the oblique faces 34b of the rack teeth. Reverse rotation of the cap is prevented due to the radial face 22a of the pawl engaging the radial face 34a of one of the teeth of the rack, the inherent resilience of the material of the hinged portion 20 serving to bias the pawl into engaging with the rack.

To remove the cap, it is necessary as the cap is being rotated to depress the depressable portion 21, to bring the pawl out of engagement with the rack, as shown in Figure 3.

In a modification, the depressable portion 21 is offset from the paw 22 and is located between the free end of the hinged portion 20, where it carries the pawl, and the hinge end at the bottoms of the slots 17.

The arrangement could be reversed so that the portion 21 is liftable instead of depressable to disengage the pawl 22 from the rack.

With reference to Figures 5 and 6, a second embodiment of the container neck 130 is shown with the rack 133 of teeth provided on the container body 131 around the neck, instead of being provided on the neck. The teeth 134 of the rack project generally axially of the container and its neck. The neck again has scrfew threads 132.

The cap 111 for this container is again provided with a skirt having screw threads 124. A larger shoulder 116 is provided and the shoulder has an integral hinged tab 120 carrying the pawl 122, which extends axially to engage with the rack. The pawl is integral with a deflectable portion 121. The hinged tab 120 is defined between a cutaway portion of the skirt and a slot 117.

In use, the deflectable portion 121 is lifted (as shown in dash lines) to disengage the pawl 122 from the rack 133.

Claims

1. A child-resistant cap and container in which the container has a neck and the cap and neck have formations which engage during relative rotary movement of the cap and the neck to secure the cap on the neck, the container being provided with an arcuate row of teeth around at least a portion of the neck and the cap being provided with a resiliently movable portion which carries a pawl and biases the pawl into engagement with the rack in the secured position of the cap on the neck, to prevent removal of the cap, said movable portion having a manually engageable part for holding the pawl out of engagement with the rack to permit removal of the cap.

2. A child-resistant cap and container according to Claim 1, in which the rack is provided on the neck of the container and the movable portion biases the pawl generally radially of the neck into engagement with the rack.

3. A child-resistant cap and container according to Claim 2, wherein the cap has a skirt provided with a pair of parallel slots defining the resiliently movable portion therebetween and the manually engageable part is integrally formed with the resiliently movable portion and projects generally radially outwardly from the skirt.

4. A child-resistant cap and container according to Claim 3, wherein the manually engageable part is depressable in the direction towards the container to disengage the pawl from the rack.

5. A child-resistant cap and container according to Claim 1 in which the rack is provided on the container body adjacent the neck and the pawl is biased in a direction generally parallel to the axis of the neck into engagement with the rack.

6. A child-resistant cap and container according to Claim 5, wherein the cap has a main skirt portion provided with said formations and a further skirt portion of larger diameter than the main skirt portion and joined to the latter by an annnular shoulder, the pawl being carried by a hinged tab integrally formed with the shoulder.

7. A child-resistant cap and container according to any preceding claim, wherein the rack is integrally moulded with the container.

8. A child-resistant container cap, the cap having formations for engagement with formations on a container neck to secure the cap on the neck on relative rotary movement, the cap having a resiliently movable portion which carries a pawl and baises the pawl for holding the pawl in engagement with a rack of teeth on the container when the cap is secured on the neck to prevent removal of the cap, the movable portion having a manually engageable part for holding the pawl out of engagement with the rack to permit removal of the cap.

9. A child-resistant container cap constructed substantially as herein described with reference to Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings.

10. A child-resistant container cap constructed substantially as herein described with reference to Figure 3 of the accompanying drawings.

11. A container for engagement with a child-resistant container cap, substantially as herein described with reference to Figures 2 or 4 of the accompanying drawings.