MXPA97006434A - Closure with apert help characteristics - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a closure for an opening inside a container, the closure comprises: a base for attaching to the container in the opening and defining a discharge opening communicating with the opening; a cover hingedly connected to the container; the base for moving between a closed position occluding the opening and an open position remote from the opening, a manually releasable latch cooperatively defined by the base and lid for holding the lid closed, the lid having a coupling member projecting towards outside whereby the user can release the latch and apply a force to the coupling member to move the cap toward the open position through the coupling member, the coupling member having a notch adjacent to the coupling member.

Description

"CLOSURE WITH CHARACTERISTICS OF AID TO THE OPENING" TECHNICAL FIELD This invention relates to a closure for a container with an articulated lid having improved opening facility for adult users and which is especially suitable for incorporation in child-resistant dispensing closures.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Y TECHNICAL PROBLEMS IMPOSED BY THE PREVIOUS TECHNIQUE In the United States of America, manufacturers of childproof closures try to provide closures that, under test protocols, meet or exceed the childproof safety standards of the Consumer Product Safety Commission. A variety of closure designs are in use or have been proposed, which provide some degree of childproofing. Typically, the designs incorporate elements or parts of the closure that must be manipulated in a certain way by the user, with a recent amount of force in order to open the closure. Young children are typically unable to determine what manipulations are required to open the closure, and in any case, typically they are not strong enough to perform the necessary manipulations with sufficient force. However, even though these containers may be resistant to being opened by a small child, these containers are also particularly difficult to open by certain adult users, such as elderly adults, arthritic adults and adults with other disabilities or physical limitations. Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide an improved one-piece closure having an articulated lid that can be opened more easily by an adult user. It would also be advantageous if this improved closure could easily be incorporated into a childproof type closure. In addition, it would be beneficial if this improved closure could maintain a secure, locked condition, but which could nevertheless be opened by an adult without the need for a tool or other special device. It would also be beneficial if this improved closure could be provided in a way that does not require excessively complicated manufacturing operations and that allows the use of machines to put conventional high-speed automatic caps to apply these closures to the containers. The present invention may be encompassed in designs that provide one or more of the benefits and features discussed above.

COMPENDIUM OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides an articulated lid closure that can be opened more easily by an adult, even an adult with certain diminished handling capabilities. The invention can be included in a distributor closure that offers advantages of greater aesthetically pleasing appearance, resistance to children, easier fabrication and better compatibility with automatic high speed cap machines. The closure is intended to be mounted in a container in the opening towards the interior of the container. The closure includes a base to be attached to the container in the opening. The base defines a discharge opening communicating with the opening of the container.

The closure includes a lid hingedly connected to the base to move between a closed position occluding the opening, and an open position remote from the opening. A manually releasable catch is cooperatively defined by the base and lid to retain the lid closed. The lid has a coupling member projecting outwards. The user can release the latch and apply a force to the member to move the lid towards the open position through the coupling member. Many other advantages and features of the present invention, the following detailed description of the invention, the claims, and the accompanying drawings will become readily apparent.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the accompanying drawings that form part of the specification, and in which like numbers are used to designate parts or equal parts therethrough, FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the closure of the present invention shown in FIG. Distributed orientation completely open, just as it is molded; Figure 2 is an enlarged plan view of the closure; Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view that is generally taken along the plane 3-3 in Figure 2; Figure 4 is a fragmentary, greatly enlarged side elevational view of the immobilizing lever of the closure base; Figure 5 is an enlarged side elevational view, taken partially in cross section, of the closure in the immobilized closed orientation; Figure 6 is a fragmentary perspective view of the front part of the closure showing the latching and opening characteristics; Figure 7 is a fragmentary view similar to Figure 5 showing the immobilizing lever in a temporarily offset position to allow opening of the closure lid; Figure 8 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the closure of the present invention; Figure 9 is a perspective view of a third embodiment of the closure of the present invention; Figure 10 is a perspective view of a fourth embodiment of the closure of the present invention; Figure 11 is a side elevational view, partly in cross section, of a fifth embodiment of the closure of the present invention; Figure 12 is a view similar to Figure 11, and Figure 12 shows a scale of locations and heights of the coupling member; Figure 13 is a view similar to Figure 11, but Figure 13 shows a sixth embodiment of the closure of the present invention; Figure 14 is a view similar to Figure 13, but Figure 14 shows a seventh embodiment of the closure of the present invention; Figure 15 is a view similar to Figure 14, but Figure 15 shows an eighth embodiment of the closure of the present invention; Figure 16 is a view similar to Figure 15, but Figure 16 shows a ninth embodiment of the closure of the present invention; Figure 17 is a view similar to Figure 11, but Figure 17 shows a tenth embodiment of the closure of the present invention; Figure 18 is a fragmentary top plan view of an eleventh embodiment of the closure of the present invention; Figure 19 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view taken generally along the plane 19-19 in Figure 18; Figure 20 is a view similar to Figure 18, but Figure 20 shows a twelfth embodiment of the closure of the present invention; Figure 21 is a cross-sectional view taken generally in plan view 21-21 in Figure 20; Figure 22 is a view similar to Figure 11, but Figure 22 shows a thirteenth embodiment of the closure of the present invention; Figure 23 is a view similar to Figure 22, but Figure 23 shows a fourteenth embodiment of the closure of the present invention; Figure 24 is a view similar to Figure 23, but Figure 24 shows a fifteenth embodiment of the closure of the present invention; Figure 25 is a view similar to Figure 4, but Figure 25 shows a sixteenth embodiment of the closure of the present invention; Figure 26 is a view similar to Figure , but Figure 26 shows a seventeenth embodiment of the closure of the present invention; and Figure 27 is a view similar to Figure 26, but Figure 27 shows a moved position of the coupling member.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED MODALITIES Although this invention is susceptible to being encompassed in many different forms, this specification and the accompanying drawings disclose only some specific forms as examples of the invention. The invention is not intended to be limited to the modalities described in this manner, however. The scope of the invention is set forth in the appended claims. For ease of description, the closure of this invention is described in a vertical position and terms such as upper, lower, horizontal, etc. they are used with reference to this position. It will be understood, however, that the closure of this invention can be manufactured, stored, transported, used and sold in another orientation than the described position. Figure 1 shows an embodiment of the invention as embodied in a specific type of child-resistant distributor closure in a fully open dispensing orientation, as molded, wherein the closure is generally represented by the reference number 20. The closure 20 is adapted to be mounted on a package (not shown) that may have a conventional open mouth defined by a neck (not shown) or other appropriate structure. The closure 20 includes a closure base or body 24 to be secured in the container. The base 24 includes a generally cylindrical peripheral wall 26 and a generally transverse closure wall or cover 28 (Figures 1, 4 and 5) that extend through the base 24. A central portion 27 of the base cover 28 is more thicker so that the surrounding portion of the cover 28 defines a peripheral shoulder.

The cylindrical wall 26 of the base 24 of the closure is adapted to couple the outer periphery of the upper part of the container neck (not shown) around the mouth of the container, such as threads 29 (Figure 3) which may include an appropriate structure conventional special to prevent the removal of the installed closure. Other suitable coupling means (e.g., snap-fit flanges) can be provided to secure the base 24 of the closure in the container. Alternatively, in some applications the base 24 of the closure could be fixed non-releasably to or be unitarily formed with the container. The base 24 of the closure includes a discharge passage 40 through the cover 28, as best illustrated in Figures 1, 2 and 5. In a currently proposed product, the passage 40 of the closure may optionally be oversized. to accommodate the hollow discharge tube 39 of an insertion member 41 (shown in silhouette with dashed lines only in Figure 5). The tube 39 projects upwardly of the passageway 40 from a flange 42 which is placed below the cover 28 of the body and which is secured thereto in a slot 43 defined by a flange 44 inside the skirt 26 of the body, under the cover 28. The insertion member 41 also includes a conventional sealing ring 45 projecting downwards, for coupling an inner edge of the container neck into the mouth of the container to effect a hermetic seal. The use of this insertion member 41 is an optional design feature of the closure. The feature of the optional closure member is not part of the present invention. A cover 50 is hingedly connected by means of a hinge means or hinges 52 on the edge of the base 24. The cover 50 is adapted to pivot between (1) a closed position (Figure 5) preventing the flow of the contents stored in the container. container through the closure and (2) an open position (Figures 1 to 3) moved away from the closed position, allowing distribution of the contents stored in the container from the opening of the discharge of the base. The lid 50 is shown in Figures 1 to 3 in a fully open position as molded. However, it will be appreciated that the lid 50 does not need to move to the fully open position in order to allow access to the interior of the package, and to distribute the contents of the package. In the preferred embodiment illustrated, hinge 52 is a snap-action hinge of the conventional type which is described in U.S. Patent No. 4,403,712. The hinge 52 is not required to be a hinge of the press action type. Any suitable hinge system can be employed to connect the lid 50 to the base 24, in accordance with the specific application requirements, aesthetic appearance, manufacturing techniques, etc. Preferably, the lid 50 and the body 24 of the closure are molded as a unitary structure of suitable thermoplastic materials, such as polypropylene or polyethylene. However, lid 50 and body 24 could be formed as separate pieces for subsequent assembly with an appropriate hinge connection system to allow opening and closing of the lid. The detailed design and operation of the hinge per se are not part of the present invention. The cover 50 preferably includes a central cover panel 58 and has a peripheral skirt 60 that depends on the periphery of the center cover panel 58. The skirt 60 of the lid (Figures 1 to 3) has a lower surface 62 defining a lower surface of the lid. The lower surface 62 of the skirt is adapted to rest on the peripheral annular shoulder of the base cover 28, when the lid is closed as illustrated in Figure 5.

In the illustrated embodiment, the cap 50 also includes sealing member 68 (Figures 1 to 3 and 5) projecting from the center cover panel 58. The sealing member 68 is adapted to enter the discharge opening of the hollow tube 39, projecting upwards through the region 27 of the central cover of the base, when the lid 50 is closed (Figure 5). This is particularly suitable for use with containers for liquids. It will be appreciated, however, that the base discharge tube 39 and the lid seal member 68 need not be provided in the manner illustrated or do not need to be provided at all. If the closure 20 is used with liquids, then other means for sealing the lid 50 of the closure and the base 24, for example, around the lower surface 62 of the skirt of the lid, may of course be employed. If the closure 20 is designed for a container for pills or other individual articles, then a predominant portion of the central portion 27 of the base cover can be removed in order to provide a relatively large access opening for the container. In this case, the discharge tube 39 and the sealing member 68 of the lid could of course be removed.

According to one aspect of the invention, the cap 50 includes a coupling member 65 projecting outwardly. In the preferred form illustrated in Figures 1 to 7, the coupling member is a generally flat tab or flange that extends generally perpendicularly outwardly from the upper surface of the cover panel 58 of the closure lid. The member 65 includes a front engagement surface 63, an upper or a distal end edge 67, and a rear engagement surface 69. In the preferred embodiment, where the closure is generally cylindrical, at least part of the frontal coupling surface 63 is essentially parallel with the longitudinal axis of the closure. During the opening of the lid, the coupling member 65 can be pushed, pulled, held or manipulated in another manner that helps tilt the lid 50 of the closure up to the open position. In the preferred form, the coupling member 65 is incorporated in a closure having a latching mechanism (which will be described in detail below) and the cap 50 can not be raised upwardly with the coupling member 65 until the mechanism is released. hooking.

When the coupling member 65 is provided in a childproof closure, with a child-resistant latching mechanism, the coupling member 65 has a shape on the lid and a position on the lid that makes it difficult for a small child to to properly manipulate the latch mechanism and to properly manipulate the coupling member as necessary to open the latch. In addition, the configuration and location of the coupling member 65 are preferably such as to inhibit access to a small child to at least part of the latch mechanism. In particular, the coupling member 65 can be designed to make it more difficult, if not impossible, for a small child to put his or her mouth over the top of the fastener and engage the latching mechanism with its teeth. The coupling member 65 can also be designed to make it difficult for a small child to place his fingers or his hand in the area between the coupling member and the latching mechanism. The latch mechanism, which will now be described in detail, is provided to keep the lid 50 in the closed position and to inhibit a child from closing. In the preferred embodiment, the base 26 has, in the front part of the closure 20 diametrically opposed from the hinge 52, a resilient immobilizing lever 70 projecting upwardly from the base cover 28 in its place inwardly from the periphery of the base. base. The immobilizing lever 70 has a shoulder 72 extending outwards and facing downwards. The lever 70 is relatively rigid and a small child might find it difficult if not impossible to use a finger to be able to bend or deflect the locking lever 70 back to the hinge 52. The upper part of the immobilizing member 70 has an end 74 curved distance and the front region of the immobilizing member 70 above the shoulder 72 extends outward, in a slightly convex curve from the thinner distal end to the outer edge of the shoulder 72. This defines a cam surface 76 against which the lid 50 as will be explained below. The lever 70 also has a rear upper surface 78 concave inwardly (Figure 4) which provides clearance when the lever 70 deviates backwards as will be described below. The lid cover panel 58 defines an opening, slot or hole 80 (Figures 1 to 3) inward of the periphery of the lid to receive the lever 70 when the lid is closed (Figure 5). The lower part of the opening 80 opens on the lower surface of the lid (i.e., the lower surface 62 of the lid skirt). The hole 80 has four sides. As you can see in Figures 1 and 2, the hole 80 has two walls 80A and 80B end flat and a flat rear wall 80C that is perpendicular to the end walls 80A and 80B. The opening 80 also has a curved lower front wall 80D that rises a short distance from the lower surface 62 of the lid skirt. In the upper part of the lower front wall 80D, the hole 80 becomes narrower due to a flat upper front wall 82 that slopes inwardly. The surface 82 acts as a cam surface for engaging the cam surface 76 of the lever as the lid 50 pivots down to a fully closed position. As the cam surfaces 82 and 76 are engaged, the lever 70 deviates backward in the direction of the arrow 84, as shown in Figure 7 to accommodate the movement of the lid 50 to the fully closed position, in FIG. wherein the seating surface 62 of the lid skirt engages the base cover 28. Since the lever 70 is bent backward, the clearance is improved by the concave rear surface 78 at the rear of the lever 70. The cam surface 82 of the cap terminates in a hooking surface 86 positioned horizontally at an elevation slightly smaller than the elevation of the shoulder 72 facing downwardly on the lever 70. In this way, when the cover 50 fully seats in the closed position, the lever 70 returns to its normal non-offset position due to the inherent resilience of the material of the lever. When the immobilizing lever 70 has recessed to the normal non-stressed position illustrated in Figure 5, the shoulder 72 of the locking lever is above the surface 86 of the catch of the lid and prevents the lid 50 from pivoting upwards. unless the immobilizer lever 70 is moved first backwards. When the lid 50 has been completely closed as illustrated in Figure 5, the top surface of the lid on either side of the lever 70 is at a slightly higher elevation than the top part of the end 74 remote from the lever. The clearance around the upper part of the lever 70, and the overall width of the lever 70 are relatively small. This reduces the exposure of the lever 70 to engagement with the child's teeth and inhibits a child's efforts to bend the lever 70 backward. In addition, the small clearance around the lever 70 inhibits the insertion of a child's teeth below the shoulder 72 of the lever. The possibility that a small child could put his mouth or teeth around the lever 70, is minimized in addition by means of the coupling member 65. However, in order to facilitate opening of the closure by an adult user, the lid 50 defines a finger access recess around and extending from the opening, and the recess is defined in part by two concavely spaced apart surfaces 90A and 90B. curved (Figure 6). The surfaces 90A and 90B accommodate the width of a typical adult finger so that an adult can place a finger adjacent to the upper front portion of the immobilizer lever 70 and push back the immobilizing lever 70. However, the overall degree of depth and width of the adjacent surfaces 90A and 90B are relatively small in order to reduce the exposure of the lever 70 to engagement with a child's tooth and in order to inhibit a child's efforts to bend toward behind the lever 70. Also, as illustrated in Figure 5, the upper part of the remote end 74 of the locking lever preferably lowers slightly below the top of the adjacent center cover panel 58 of the lid. Further, as can be seen in Figure 5, the peripheral region of the lid 50, including the skirt 60, extends outwardly beyond the front portion of the immobilizer lever 70 to prevent a child's teeth from engaging the front. of the lever 70. The adult user can open the closure by pushing the lever 70 backwards and then lifting upwards or pushing against the coupling member 65. The coupling member 65 can be held between the thumb and the finger of one hand and lifted while the fingers of the other hand are used to retain the closure and push back the lever 70. Alternatively, the adult user having a finger much longer than the finger of a small child, can hold the base of the closure or the container with one hand, and then with the other hand place a finger down from above the member 65 of coupling in order to engage the upper edge 67 of the member while pushing back on the lever 70 with the end of the finger. In this way, the adult can open the lid with one hand while retaining the base of the closure or container with the other hand. However, a small child does not have fingers long enough to open the lid with a finger in this way. In addition, a small child would not have the sufficient manual dexterity or intelligence to push back the lever 70. Of course, the coupling member 65 also inhibits the ability of a small child to put his mouth and tooth close to the lever 70 in a manner that allowed the teeth to easily engage the lever and move it backwards. Even when the adult user who is arthritic or has other physical limitations will conveniently find use of the coupling member 65, it will be appreciated that other adult users do not necessarily use the coupling member 65. Of course, the closure includes other features that can help the adult user lift the lid in a different alternative manner and from that described above. In particular, the lid 50 could also include a pair of separate finger engaging surfaces 92 (Figures 2 and 6). The finger engaging surfaces 92 are defined in the lid 60 of the skirt by shallow indentations spaced apart on either side of the engaging area. The indentations each is offset laterally relative to the hole 80 of the lid. Each indentation is defined at one end by an inwardly extending surface 94 (Figure 6), and each finger engaging surface 92 forms an outwardly facing smooth wall defining a posterior portion of the indentation. Preferably, each indentation and associated finger engaging surface 92 extends completely to the lower surface 62 of the skirt but terminates before the top of the skirt. In addition, the end of each finger engaging surface 92 opposite the indentation end wall 94 is fused with the skirt 60 of the lid, such as at 98 (Figure 6). In order to allow the finger of an adult user to exert a superior opening force on the periphery of the lid 50, each finger engaging surface 92 progressively extends outwardly with the increased distance from the bottom surface 62 of the lid as can be seen in Figure 6. The finger engaging surface 92 terminates along an upper edge 100 (Figure 6) extending forward or away from the lower edge of the lid skirt. However, the finger engaging surface 92 is free from the overhanging peripheral surfaces of a sufficient depth to be coupled upwardly by the teeth in a child. That is, the indentation is shallow enough and is bent or curved so that the child's upper or lower front teeth can not effectively engage in a non-slip manner, the surface 92 and apply sufficient force in the direction necessary to lift the lid 50 away from the base 24. In addition, the other portions of the edge periphery between the two fingers engaging surfaces 92 and between each surface 92 and the hinge 52 are free from the overhanging peripheral surfaces of sufficient depth to be coupled up by the teeth of a child. In order to increase the child resistant characteristic of the closure 20, the finger engaging recesses 92 do not extend forward of the region of the immobilizing lever 70. That is, the lifting area that is presented by each finger engaging surface 92 is laterally displaced from the locking lever 70 and the opening 80 by an amount sufficient to require the user to perform opening manipulations at two sites or Differently different locations in the closure in order to open the lid. Thus, the immobilizing lever 70 must be engaged in a location in the lid 50, and while the immobilizing lever is deflected the lid 50 must be opened by lifting one or both of the separated surfaces 92, offset laterally of the fingers coupling (or alternatively, applying a lifting force on the lid coupling member 65 as described in detail above). This sequence of manipulation is difficult and confusing for small children. Preferably, the surface of the skirt 60 immediately below the engaging surface 86 between the finger engaging surfaces 92 is essentially vertical, and smooth and somewhat forward of the shoulder 72 of the immobilizing lever in order to eliminate or reduce the presence of surfaces or edges that could be coupled by the teeth of a child to separate or deform the structures in the region of the immobilizing lever 70. In addition, the portion of the base 24 extending from the hinge 52 is configured to project peripherally outwardly from at least as far as the lower surface 62 of the lid. Preferably, the base 24 extends peripherally outwardly in addition to the lower surface 62 of the skirt skirt as illustrated in Figure 5. Because the base 24 projects normally beyond the closed cover 50, the closure has a larger scale of manufacturing tolerances (molded). That is, the molding of a slightly larger lid would still not result in the lid projecting peripherally beyond the base 24 to create a protruding overlay that could be engaged by a child's teeth. Therefore, the closure has the ability to more easily accommodate manufacturing processes. In addition, the closure can be molded with essentially insignificant radial projections. Therefore, the closure can be easily applied to a container with a conventional high-speed automatic lidding machine. Figure 8 illustrates a second embodiment of the closure that is generally designated by the reference number 120, Figure 9 illustrates a third embodiment of the closure that is designated generally by the reference number 220, and Figure 10 illustrates a fourth embodiment of the closure which is designated generally by the reference number 320. As shown in Figure 8, the closure 120 includes a lid coupling member 165 spaced to some degree behind the latching hole 180 which has a slightly different configuration in the lid in comparison with the hook hole 80 in the lid 50 of the first embodiment described above with reference to Figures 1 to 7. In the third embodiment of the closure 220 shown in Figure 9, the closure lid includes a member 265 of coupling which is closer to the hole 280 of the lid, and the hole 280 of the lid has a somewhat different configuration on the surface of the lid and n comparison with the configuration of the surface of the hole 80 of the closure of the first embodiment described above with reference to Figures 1 to 7. In the fourth embodiment illustrated in Figure 10, the closure 320 has a hole 380 of lid with still a different configuration on the surface of the lid, including the backwardly extending surface 381 that slopes upwards and fuses with the recessed surface 383 in the coupling member 365. A fifth embodiment of the closure 420A is shown in Figure 11. The closure cap includes a coupling member 465A which is positioned somewhat further away from the lock immobilizing lever 470A compared to the distance between the locking lever and the locking member. coupling in the above-described embodiments with reference to Figures 1 to 10. The coupling member 465A can be positioned on the top of the closure on a scale of distances from the locking lever 470A. A preferred scale of locations is illustrated in Figure 11 by the vertical line 501 that marks the end of the scale closest to the immobilizing lever 470A and by the vertical line 502 that marks the end of the preferred scale furthest from the lever 470A immobilizer. In the preferred embodiment illustrated in Figure 11, the lines 501 and 502 define a scale or distance that is preferably two-thirds of the diameter D of the closure, and this scale is centered in relation to the closure diameter and oriented in a line perpendicular to the immobilizer lever 47OA. The minimum distance at which coupling member 465A would be placed away from the diametric edge of closure 420A is preferably determined by dividing the diameter of the cap by centimeters by twelve (ie, D / 12). Figure 12 illustrates a preferred relationship between the height of the coupling member 465A and the location of the coupling member 465A. As the coupling member 465A is positioned closer to the immobilizing lever 470A, the height of the coupling member 465A decreases. As the coupling member 465A is positioned further away from the immobilizing member 470A, the coupling member 465A increases in height. In a preferred relationship, a line 505 parallel to the top of the closure lid is tangent with respect to the upper part of the immobilizing lever 470A. A second line 507 is oriented at an angle alpha relative to the first line 505. The second line 507 intersects the first line 505 and remains tangent to the upper part of the immobilizing lever 470A. The coupling member 465A would have a height which is determined by the line 507. The object of providing a shorter engaging member 465A close to the immobilized lever 470A is to maintain the mechanical advantage approximately equal with respect to the opening force that can be achieved. apply by pushing the coupling member 465A. When the coupling member 465A is positioned farthest from the immobilizing lever 470A, therefore closer to the hinge of the lid (e.g., hinge 52 in Figure 1), the force required to pivot the lid to open it will be greater. Therefore, a higher coupling member 465A is employed. On the other hand, when the coupling member 465A is further away from the hinge of the cap and therefore closer to the immobilizing lever 470A, then there is a longer pivot arm and the coupling member 465A must be shorter to prevent the user from exerting an excessive amount of force on the lid. It will be appreciated that the closure, when made of thermoplastic materials, can be subjected to the application of relatively large forces by a child attempting to open the closure. These large forces, unless limited in a certain way, could tend to temporarily or permanently deform the thermoplastic matrix where the immobilizing lever is engaged with the closure cap. This could lead to the lid disengaging from the immobilizer lever even without the lever being pushed back as intended during a normal opening operation. However, if the coupling member 465A becomes short enough relative to its location in the closure lid, then it will not be possible for a small child, or even an adult, to apply sufficient force for the coupling member 465A to perform a deformation of the thermoplastic material in the coupling of the immobilizing lever. In this way, the closure can only then be opened by a more complicated operation of simultaneously pushing back the immobilizing lever while the lid is forced upwards (for example by pushing up or pulling up on the coupling member 465A). Figure 13 illustrates another form of closure 420B wherein the amount of force that can be applied effectively to the coupling member 465B is limited in order to prevent unproposed deformation, and therefore a potential disengagement of the thermoplastic material in the engagement region that is defined by the immobilizing lever 470B and the adjacent lid portion. Coupling member 465B has a notch in the front of the member adjacent to the top of the lid. The notch is defined by a radius 512 and a tangent surface 514. The tangent surface may have a beta angle as defined between the front flat surface of the engaging surface 465B and an imaginary continuation of the tangent surface 514 which is illustrated by the line 516. When excessive force is applied to the member 465B coupling, it will bend. This prevents the transfer of high forces and momentum to the region of the engagement member 75A which could otherwise cause a deformation and therefore a release of the coupled thermoplastic materials defining the locking lever 470A and the adjacent hooked lid region. Figure 14 illustrates the manner in which a similar notch defined by a radius 512C and a tangent surface 514C can be provided on the back side of the coupling member 465C. Figure 15 illustrates a coupling member 465D having a front notch defined by a radius 612 and a tangent surface 614 and having a subsequent notch defined by a radius 712 and a tangent surface 714. Coupling members 465C and 465D would bend or flex when excessive force is applied. This would prevent the transfer of high forces and impetus to the region of the locking lever that could otherwise be sufficient to cause deformation of the thermoplastic material and release or disengagement of the locking latch lever. Figure 16 illustrates a coupling member 465E having a groove 812 defined in the front surface of the coupling member 465E. In a preferred embodiment, the height H of the member 465E can be divided into thirds (each having the length of H / 3), and the notch 812 is placed in a third intermediate part of the height of the member. The member 465E would be bent when excessive force is applied and will therefore prevent the transfer of forces or momentum to the immobilizing lever 470E while otherwise creating the deformation of the thermoplastic material and the release of the lever. Figure 17 illustrates a closure embodiment 420F having a coupling member 465F that is thicker at the bottom and progressively thinner toward the top. In a preferred proposed embodiment, the thickest section of member 465F on the surface of the lid would be approximately 2.92 millimeters. The change in thickness (ie, the decrease in thickness) with the increased height of member 465F provides an increasingly flexible system. This allows the upper part of the member 465F to be held or pushed to help lift the lid of the closure to open if the immobilizing lever 470F is pushed back properly to release the latch. However, if the immobilizing member 470F is not pushed back to release the latch, then the coupling member 465F will bend when excessive force is applied. If a force F is applied to the coupling member 465F near the bottom (at site XI in Figure 17), then the immobilizing lever 470F is subjected to a transfer strain that is less than if applied to it. force F on top of coupling member 465F (at site X2 in Figure 17). Consequently, the coupling member 465F is thinner in the upper part in order to bend when subjected to a high force F and prevents the transfer of excessive loads towards the immobilizing lever 470F.

Figures 18 and 19 show the upper part of the closure 420G having a coupling member 465G projecting upwards from the closure lid adjacent to a space, opening or channel 832. Channel 832 reduces the rigidity of the system and this allows that the coupling member 465G is bent if excessive forces are applied. Figures 20 and 21 illustrate a coupling member 465H extending upwardly from the closure cap between a pair of spaces or channels 832H and 834H. The coupling member 465H is connected to the closure cap only at the opposite ends, and this is a highly flexible system which prevents the transfer of impetus and excessive forces towards the immobilizing lever. Figure 22 shows one embodiment of a closure 4201 having a coupling member 4651 extending upwardly from the closure lid. The upper surface of the closure lid defines a lifting force in the form of a groove 8401, in the form of a "V". The notch 8401 extends transversely through the closure cap in parallel to the coupling member 4651. The notch 8401 has a length that is essentially equal to the width of the coupling member 4651.

If excessive force is applied to the coupling member 4651, the top wall of the cap breaks into the groove 8401, and this prevents the immobilizing lever 470 from being subjected to excessive loads which could otherwise cause a deformation of the thermoplastic material in the region of engagement that could lead to the immobilizing lever being counteracted. Due to fractures of the closure cap in the notch 8401 when excessive coupling loads 4651 are applied, the closure cap will remain closed-latched unless the immobilizing lever 4701 is properly actuated first by pushing back. Figure 23 illustrates a closure 420J having a coupling member 465J. The member 465J extends upwardly from the lid of the closure having a lifting force in the form of an inverted "V" -shaped groove 840J extending transversely along the lid through a distance equal to the width of the member 465J. This creates a thinner cross-sectional wall that is considerably weaker than the surrounding uniform wall. When excessive force is applied to the coupling member 465J in an effort to counteract the closed locking lever 470J, the lid wall breaks away from the groove 840J leaving the lid closed. Figure 24 shows an alternative embodiment wherein the lifting effort is provided with a notch 840K on the bottom surface of the closure cap slightly backward of a coupling member 465K. Figure 25 shows an alternative embodiment wherein a notch 840L is provided on the upper surface of the closure lid behind a coupling member 465L. This will cause the cap to fracture behind the coupling member 465L when excessive force is applied to the coupling member 465L. Figures 26 and 27 illustrate another manner in which flexibility can be added to a closure around the coupling member. The top wall of the closure lid includes a flexible front member 860M in a "U" shape, and a flexible rear member 862M in a "U" shape. A 465M coupling member projects upwardly from the closure cap between two flexible U-shaped members 860M and 862M. The flexible members allow the coupling member 865M to flex backward or forward when excessive force is applied to the member 465M in an attempt to counteract the locking lever. Figure 27 illustrates the position of coupling member 465M when a force of sufficient magnitude is applied to the front surface of member 465M. The 465M member leans back. The load transmitted through the member 465M inclined through the 860M and 862M members in a "U" shape is then smaller than that which would be required to effect the deformation of the thermoplastic material in the region of the immobilizing lever to avoid counteracting the lever immobilizer. The structure illustrated in Figures 26 and 27 can be molded of polypropylene. The 860M and 862M members in a "U" shape would react to some extent as spring members. In a proposed modality, the upper opening of each member in the form of "U" is approximately half the depth of the member in the form of "U". If desired, an active hinge would be provided along the rear lower edge of the coupling member 465M as indicated by line 870M in Figure 26. When the coupling member 465M is forced rearwardly, the active hinge would remain in place. compression and the front-U-shaped 870M member would be in tension. When the force is released, the coupling member 65M would essentially return to the original orientation, as molded. In a proposed embodiment employing 860M and 862M spring members in a "U" shape, the size of the "U" shaped depression can be calculated. In particular, the length of the "U" shaped depression in cross-section (ie, the sum of the lengths of the two legs plus the length of the arc in the lower part of the depression) should be approximately equal to the length of arc defined by the distal end of the tongue, as the tongue tilts back to the point where a selected design limit force is applied to the tongue which is insufficient to deform the latch and counteract the lever immobilizer. It will be appreciated that if the design of the novel coupling member of the present invention is incorporated in a childproof closure having a latching mechanism, this latching mechanism may have other shapes and function differently compared to the latch hole. coupling and the coupling lever previously described. These alternative designs may include rotating mechanisms, button type mechanisms or other devices for retaining a closed layer and which must be made to be manipulated by the user in order to release the lid so that the lid can be subsequently lifted. It will be readily apparent from the foregoing detailed description of the invention and the illustrations thereof that numerous variations and modifications may be made without departing from the true spirit and scope of the novel concepts or principles of this invention.

Claims (24)

R E I V I N D I C A C I O N E S:

1. A closure for an opening inside a container, the closure comprises: a base for attaching to the container in the opening and defining a discharge opening communicating with the opening; a lid hingedly connected to the base to move between a closed position occluding the opening and an open position remote from the opening; a manually releasable trap defined cooperatively by the base and lid to retain the lid closed; the cap has a coupling member projecting outwardly whereby the user can release latch and apply a force to the coupling member to move the cap toward the open position through the coupling member.

The closure according to claim 1, wherein the coupling member is generally flat and has a distal end separated from the engach.

3. The closure according to claim 1, wherein the coupling member is generally adjacent to the coupling.

The closure according to claim 1, wherein the closure has a generally cylindrical configuration and wherein the coupling member defines a coupling surface that is oriented essentially parallel to the cylindrical axis of the closure.

The closure according to claim 1, wherein the catch includes: a central cover panel wherein the cover defines a receiving hole and an adjacent engagement surface; and a resilient immobilizing lever at the base projecting through the hole and defining a shoulder confronting the hook engaging surface.

The closure according to claim 2, wherein the lid has two fingers engaging surfaces in separate locations; the portions of the periphery of the lid define two indentations separated with each indentation, being offset laterally relative to the hole in the lid; and each finger engaging surface is an outward facing smooth wall that defines a portion of one of the indentations.

The closure according to claim 6, wherein the cover has a peripheral skirt that depends on the central cover panel; the lid has a skirt having a lower surface defining a lower surface of the lid; each of the indentations extends completely to the lower surface of the skirt and terminates before the upper part of the skirt.

The closure according to claim 7, wherein the portion of the lower surface of the skirt between the two indentations is placed inwardly of the periphery of the base when the lid is closed.

The closure according to claim 7, wherein the central cover panel of the cover defines a finger access recess around and extends from the hole, the recess increases in lateral size with the increased distance away from the surface bottom of the lid, but having a sufficient size to allow a child's teeth to engage the lever.

The closure according to claim 9, wherein the recess of the lid is defined in part by two concave curved surfaces separated each extending laterally relative to the hole in the lid.

The closure according to claim 9, wherein the lever has a distal end; the lever has an upper front surface above the shoulder which curves to resist and be slidably coupled by a child's teeth; and the part of the cover panel of the cap that remains adjacent, and extends from the recess, projects over the distal end of the lever when the cap is closed.

The closure according to claim 1, wherein the closure has a diameter and wherein the coupling member is placed along the diameter at a point that is at a distance no more than one third of the diameter in any direction from the center of the closure.

13. The closure according to claim 1, wherein the coupling member has a notch adjacent to the cap.

The closure according to claim 13, wherein the lid is hingedly connected to the base.

15. The closure according to claim 13, wherein the notch is oriented towards the region where the lid is articulately connected to the base.

The closure according to claim 13, wherein the coupling member has two generally opposite oriented surfaces and wherein the first embodiment is defined on one of the surfaces adjacent to the t and where the second notch is defined. in the other of the surfaces adjacent to the lid.

The closure according to claim 1, wherein the coupling member defines a notch at a separate site above the lid.

18. The closure according to claim 1, wherein the coupling member decreases in thickness within the distance that increases from the cap.

19. The closure according to claim 1, wherein an opening is defined in the cap adjacent the coupling member. The closure according to claim 1, wherein the lid defines two openings, one on each side of the coupling member. The closure according to claim 1, wherein the outer surface of the cap defines a "V" shaped notch adjacent to the coupling member. The closure according to claim 1, wherein the inner surface of the cap defines an inverted "V" shaped notch adjacent to the coupling member. The closure according to claim 1, wherein the cap defines a pair of spring members separated in a "U" shape and wherein the coupling member projects upwardly from the cap between the two spring members. The closure according to claim 23, wherein the cap defines an active hinge adjacent to one of the spring member.