GB2190366A

GB2190366A - Rotatable security device

Info

Publication number: GB2190366A
Application number: GB08711518A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Peter Alan West
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1986-05-15
Filing date: 1987-05-15
Publication date: 1987-11-18
Also published as: GB8611899D0; GB8711518D0

Abstract

A rotatable security device suitable for use as a closure device for a container (10) for dangerous substances so as to render the container inaccessible to children, comprises an inner cap (12) which can be screwed onto the neck (11) of the container. The inner cap is enclosed in an outer cap (15) in which it is retained by means of peripheral flanges (13, 16). The outer cap is freely rotatable on the inner cap so as to prevent unscrewing of the inner cap from the container, except when a removable key device (24) is inserted through an aperture (22) in the outer cap into a recess (43) in the inner cap. The aperture may be protected by a tear-off tab (25). In alternative embodiments, the security device is arranged to operate a fluid flow valve or a door- opening device. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Rotatable security device This invention relates to rotatable security devices.

The invention is particularly although not exclusively concerned with rotatable security devices in the form of safety closures for containers in which poisonous or otherwise harmful substances are stored, which closures are child-proof or at least child-resistant.

A known such safety closure comprises a cap with inner and outer structures which can be screwed onto a threaded neck of a container, it being necessary to manipulate the structures into a predetermined inter-relationship, e.g. by applying pressure to the outer structures, before the cap can be unscrewed.

This known arrangement is however not wholly satisfactory in so far as it can be inconvenient to use and may not always give adequate security.

An object of the present invention is to provide a rotatable security device which is simple and convenient to use yet which can give good security.

The invention provides a rotatable security device comprising an inner rotatable part and an outer rotatable part in the form of a cover enclosing said inner part and retained thereon so as to be freely rotatable therearound, said inner and outer parts being interconnectable, so as to be rotatable together, by co-operation of a removable element with said parts.

The removable element may be engageable with at least one aperture in said outer part and at least one recess in said inner part when aperture and recess are mutually aligned. The removable element may comprise a specially shaped key or the like, and one or both of the aperture and recess may be correspondingly specially shaped, e.g. so that only the specially shaped key can be used and/or to give a decorative or advertising effect. In the last mentioned respect the outer aperture may be in the shape of the initials or logo of a company. Alternatively the arrangement may be such that a suitable prong or rod or coin or other available element may be used as the removable element.

The outer rotatable part may be arranged to be freely rotatable around the inner part in one direction only, a ratchet or other similar structure being provided betwen the parts so that the parts are rotatable together in the other direction even when the removable element is not used.

The rotatable security device of the invention may be in the form of a safety closure for a container. In this case, the inner part may be in the form of an internally threaded cap or an externally threaded stopper engageable with a corresponding externally or internally threaded neck of a container and the outer part may be a suitable manually rotatable structure such as a cap-shaped structure.

Alternatively, the rotatable security device may be in the form of a tap or valve operating device for controlling fluid flow along a pipe or through an outlet or the like.

In this case, the inner part may be a part formed integrally with or mounted on or fixed to a rotary member of the tap or valve; and the outer part may be a suitable manually rotatable structure such as a control knob, control lever or the like. By way of example, such operating device may be used at a dispense outlet of a drum or other large vessel containing a liquid or fluent material, such as a noxious chemical, diesel fuel, petrol or the like; or the device may be used to control flow of gas or liquid along a pipe e.g. to control flow of fuel gas to a gas cooker; or the device may be used to control flow of gas out of a gas cylinder.Where it is important to ensure that fluid flow can only be turned on by an authorised person yet for safety reasons can always be turned off by any other person, the device will be arranged so that the inner and outer parts are always rotatable together in the appropriate turn-off direction.

Yet further, the rotatable security device of the invention may be in the form of a security closure device for a door or the like. In this case the inner part may be a part formed integrally with or mounted on or fixed to a rotary member of the door, such as the spigot of a door catch or the like; and the outer part may be a suitable manually rotatable structure such as a knob, lever, handle or the like.

To give additional security, the arrangement may be such that a member has to be broken or removed or otherwise permanently disrupted, before the removal element can be introduced into co-operation with the said parts.

Thus, for example, a rupturable membrane or tear-off plastics tab or the like may be provided over one or both of the abovementioned apertures.

The invention will now be described further by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of one embodiment, Figure 2 is a sectional elevation of a second embodiment, Figures 3 and 4 are mutually perpendicular sectional elevations of a third embodiment before assembly.

Referring now to Figure 1 there is shown a container 10 having an externally screwthreaded neck 11. An internally threaded inner cap 12 is screwed onto the neck 11 in conventional manner to retain the contents of container 10 therein. The inner cap 12 is provided with an outwardly extending peripheral rib 13. An outer cap 15 fits over inner cap 12 and is freely rotatable relative thereto so that inner cap 12 cannot be unscrewed from con tainer 10. The outer cap 15 is provided with an inwardly extending peripheral rib 16. The ribs 13,16 engage each other in mutually overlapping disposition so as to ensure that the outer cap 15 is held on the inner cap 12.

Assembly of the caps 12,15 may be effected by pressing the outer cap over the inner cap.

Alternatively, the outer cap may be formed in top and bottom halves snap-fitted or bonded together and the two halves may be united around the inner cap.

There is a blind bore 17 in the side or top of the outer cap and a blind bore 18 in the top or side of the inner cap. The two caps can be fixed together by inserting a rod or prong through the thin-walled region of the cap 15 in the region of the bore 17 to convert this to a through hole, the rod or prong being passed through this hole into the bore 18 after first rotating the caps to move the hole 17 and bore 18 into alignment with each other. The inner cap 12 can then be rotated to open or close the container as desired, by manual rotation of the outer cap 15. The rod or prong can subsequently be removed.

By means of the simple and inexpensive arrangement of the Figure 1 embodiment access to the contents of container 10 by children may be prevented or at least hindered to a considerable extent, thereby reducing the risk of children gaining access to harmful substances.

The closure described above may be used in connection with bottles, cans or the like containers of drugs, cleaning preparations, motor oil, gardening chemicals or the like substances which could be harmful if swallowed or even contacted by children. However, the closure may also be used as a closure of a cupboard or the like in which medicines, gardening chemicals or the like are housed.

It will be seen that the outer cap 15 in effect incorporates a seal which must be broken before the prong or rod can be inserted through the holes 17,18, thereby indicating when unbroken that the container has not been opened.

Figure 2 shows a modified version of the arrangement of Figure 1. Instead of the bores 17,18 the side or top surfaces of the inner and outer caps 12,15 have alignable slots 22, 23 into which a coin or key 24 can be inserted to key the inner and outer caps 12, 15 together after removal of a tear-off plastics tab 25 from the outer cap 15.

With all of the above described embodiments, a ratchet arrangement may be provided between the inner and outer caps so that the caps interlock with each other if the outer cap is rotated in the direction appropriate to the tightening of the closure on the container even if the capsare not keyed together as described. Thus, keying together of the caps is only required to remove the closure. The ratchet arrangement may be provided between the top walls of the caps or between the side walls or otherwise as desired.

Referring now to Figs. 3 and 4 there is shown a rotatable security device 30 comprising an inner cap 31 and an outer cap 32. The caps 31,32 are dimensioned such that the inner cap 31 fits into the outer cap 32 and is retained therein by an internal annular rib 33 provided adjacent the open end of the outer cap 32. The inner cap 31 has an internal screw thread 34 so that it may be screwed onto the threaded neck of a container (not shown). Provided in the top of the outer cap 32 is a slot 35 which initially is substantially closed by an upstanding tab 36, the tab 36 being attached to the top of the cap 32 by means of rupturable membranes 37. The top of the inner cap 31 is provided with a part circular recess 38. Also provided, on the inner surface of the top outer cap 32 and on the outer surface of the top of the inner cap 31, are a plurality of flexible membranes 39.The membranes 39 of the inner cap 31 are inclined in a rotationally opposite direction to those of the outer cap 32 so that the membranes 39 serve as a ratchet, allowing relative rotation of the caps 31, 32 in the unscrewing direction of cap 31 on the container but preventing such relative rotation in the closing direction. With the inner cap 31 pressed into position inside the outer cap 32 the device 30 can be screwed onto a container. However, since the outer cap 32 can rotate freely on the inner cap 31 in the opposite direction the device 30 cannot be removed from the container whilst the tab 36 is attached as shown.

However, if the tab 36 is removed from the outer cap 32 by severance of the rupturable membranes 37, and the outer cap 32 is then rotated so that the slot 35 is alinged with the recess 38, the tab 36 may be inserted through the slot 35 into the recess 38. This will prevent further relative rotation between the outer and inner caps 32, 31 so that the device 30 can be unscrewed from the container. Although the tab 36 and recess 38 are shown as being part circular in shape, other complementary shapes, or a coin or other implement instead of tab 36, can be used if preferred.

The inner cap with all the above described embodiments need not be an internally screwthreaded cap engageable with an externally screw-threaded neck but instead may be an externally screw-threaded plug engageable with an internally screw-threaded neck. Also, instead of a screw thread a bayonet fitting may be used.

Claims

1. A rotatable security device comprising an inner rotatable part and an outer rotatable part in the form of a cover enclosing said inner part and retained thereon so as to be freely rotatable therearound, said inner and outer parts being interconnectable so as to be rotatable together, by cooperation of a removable element with said parts.

2. A security device according to claim 1 wherein said removable element is engageable with at least one aperture in said outer part, and at least one recess in said inner part when said aperture and said recess are mutually aligned.

3. A security device according to claim 2 wherein at least one of said aperture and said recess has a corresponding mutually cooperating shape with said removable element.

4. A security device according to claim 2 or claim 3 wherein said removable element is initially removably attached to said outer part so as to close said aperture.

5. A security device according to any one of claims 1 to 4 wherein said outer part is freely rotatable around said inner part in one direction only.

6. A security device according to claim 5 wherein said outer and said inner parts are provided with cooperating ratchet formations on mutually adjacent surfaces.

7. A security device according to claim 6 wherein said ratchet formations comprise flexible membranes extending from said surfaces and inclined in the opposed rotational direction on said inner part from said outer part.

8. A security device according to any one of claims 1 to 7 wherein an annular rib is provided internally of said outer part adjacent an open end thereof whereby said inner part is retained in said outer part by said annular rib.

9. A security device according to any one of claims 1 to 8 comprising a safety closure for a container.

10. A security device according to claim 9 wherein said inner part is provided with a screw thread for engagement with said container.

11. A security device according to claim 10 wherein said inner part is cap-shaped and said screw thread is an internal thread for engagement with an externally screw threaded neck of a container.

12. A security device according to claim 11 wherein said outer part is cap shaped.

13. A security device according to any one of claims 1 to 8 comprising a fluid flow tap or valve.

14. A security device according to any one of claims 1 to 8 comprising a door opening and closing device.

15. A security device substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in Fig. 1, Fig. 2 or Figs. 3 and 4 of the accompanying drawings.