US3519299A

US3519299A - Safety lock for container

Info

Publication number: US3519299A
Authority: US
Inventors: Richard H Goodwin
Original assignee: RICHARD H GOODWIN
Current assignee: RICHARD H GOODWIN
Priority date: 1968-03-06
Filing date: 1968-03-06
Publication date: 1970-07-07
Anticipated expiration: 1987-07-07

Description

July 7, 1970 R. H. GODWIN 3,519,299

SAFETY LOCK FOR CONTAINER Filed March 6, 1968 6 Sheets-Sheet 1 ATTORNEYS SAFETY LOCK FOR CONTAINER Filed March 6, 1968 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 Eng INVENTOR ,e/cwmep b Gown/v ATTORNEYS July 7, 1970 R. H. GODWiN SAFETY LOCK FOR CONTAINER 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed March 6. 1968 RNVENTOR 2/6/0720 H. 600 W/A July 7, 1970 R. H. GODWIN I 3,5fi92g SAFETY LOCK FOR CONTAINER INVENTOR mow/20 H- 609 w/n' 41 99% 4k 9% yg w'li ATTORNEYS July 7, 1970 R. H. GODWIN 3,519,299

SAFETY LOCK FDR CONTAINER Filed March 6, 1968 e Sheets-Sheet 6 INVENTOR RICH/7B0 hf G00 WM ATTORNEYS United States Patent US. Cl. 292-175 16 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A safety lock to be mounted in a container having an open side and normally having a closure positioned over the opening to form a closed container. The container is for housing potentially dangerous articles such as medicines, and has a locking means relatively easily opened by an adult but which is virtually impossible for a small child to open. The safety lock includes a catch means mounted in the container and release means mounted on the container with one portion extending within the container and another portion extending without the container. The portion within the container is associated with the catch means and the other portion has an enlarged grasping surface larger than the normal hand span of a small child and yet smaller than the span of a person other than a small child. An auxiliary catch release means is also mounted on the container which cooperates with the release means to release the catch. The catch means is released when the release means is activated in a predetermined manner and in cooperation with the auxiliary catch release means which also must be activated so the closure may then be removed allowing access to the interior of the container. However, if only the release means is operated and not the auxiliary catch release, the catch means will not be released.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION which require the use of a key to lock and unlock the a container. However, these devices are totally dependent on the availability of the key which could become lost or easily misplaced. Furthermore, the key could be used by a child who discovers its location and is able to obtain possession of it. Certainly every parent is aware of the ingenuity of his child who, after observing a person using a key to open and close a container, could easily follow the example and gain access to the interior of the container and the dangerous items within.

The use of combination locks, another alternative, provides certain other problems. For instance, the opening of the lock requires dependence on memory or the availability of unlocking information. It would not be unreasonable to assume that a parent could store the combination information in a safe place, and then not be able to recall its location when needed. In addition, opening the combination lock requires some adeptness in manipulation of the lock. All of these factors could pose a serious hindrance in situations of haste or emergency when the articles contained within the box are quickly needed.

3,519,299 Patented July 7, 1970 Other existing devices require a maze-type or other complicated manipulation of a mechanism to open the container. Some of these complicated maze-type devices could easily confuse a responsible individual in his attempt to open the container particularly if he is in an agitated state of mind and in a great hurry. Moreover, children have been known to demonstrate how to open a medicine container of this type to a parent who was himself unable to do so.

Naturally, it should be also kept in mind that any known type of unlocked container no matter where it is located within the house could be discovered and reached by a curious child with a normal amount of ingenuity.

From the above, it obvious that there is a great need in the art for an improved container which will permit easy access by the parent or adult but which will make access by a small child highly unlikely or virtually impossible.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore, the primaiy objective of this invention is to provide a device which solves the several above-mentioned problems, first by incorporating the entire unlocking mechanism in a single unit thus eliminating the need for a key, by providing a more rapid and direct method of opening a locked container when the need is pressing as in an emergency, and by eliminating the danger existing when a container of medicines or poisonous household products is inadvertently left unlocked or improperly closed after use. Furthermore, the invention provides a safety lock which is quite simple and depends upon natural physical competence rather than on mental solution for the opening procedure. That is, a child may discover from observing a parent exactly how to open the box and still be unable to do so. Alternatively, the simple directions can be spelled out or graphically indicated on the container without in any way increasing the likelihood of its being opened by a small child. Finally, the safety lock may be used on portable boxes as well as on permanently installed medicine cabinets and, in addition, it may be used on cupboards under the kitchen and bathroom sinks where many toxic household products are normally stored.

The safety lock is mounted on a container which has an opening on one surface and a closure normally positioned over the opening to form a closed container. The container houses articles which are normally dangerous to small children. The safety lock includes catch means adapted to be mounted within the container and release means adapted to be movably mounted on the container. The release means has one portion extending within the container and another portion extending outside of the container. The portion within the container is associated with the catch means and the portion outside of the container has an enlarged grasping surface which has a diameter larger than the normal span of the hand of a small child, and smaller than the span of a person other than a small child. When a person other than a small child grasps and moves the grasping means with one hand in a predetermined manner, the portion within said container will engage and release the catch means thereby unlocking the container and permitting the closure to be removed to allow the operator to gain access to the interior of the container.

With the above-mentioned objects and others in mind, reference is had to the attached drawing of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a container having a safety lock embodying this invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation view thereof;

FIG. 3 is an end elevation view thereof with the closure of the container being in an open position;

FIG. 4 is a sectional elevation view of a container including a safety lock embodying this invention in the locked position taken along the plane of line 44 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a side elevation view thereof with the safety lock in the unlocked position;

FIG. 6 is a side elevation view of an alternate embodiment of a container having a safety lock embodying this invention in locked position taken along the plane of line 4-4 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a side elevation view thereof in the unlocked position taken along the plane of line 44 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 is a top view of another alternate embodiment of a container employing a safety lock of this invention shown in locked position with an arrow showing the direction of rotation of both pins to the unlocked position;

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary sectional view of the embodiment of FIG. 8 taken along the plane of line 9-9 of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a top plan view of the embodiment of FIG. 8 and showing the safety lock in an unlocked position;

FIG. 11 is a fragmentary side elevation view thereof taken along the plane of line 1111 of FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is an exploded perspective view of the portion of a safety lock of the embodiment of FIG. 8 which is contained primarily within the container;

FIG. 13 is a top plan view of the embodiment of FIG. 8 showing the safety lock in a locked position and the position of the handles when they have been independently moved in one direction; and

FIG. 14 is a top plan view thereof with the two handles having been moved independently in the opposite direction.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS For illustrative purposes, the safety lock embodying this invention will be applied to a simple type of box or container having a base portion 21 and a hinged closure portion 22. FIGS. 1-3 illustrate this type of container. You will note in FIG. 1 that the upper surface of closure 22 will contain a recess portion 23 to contain the exterior portions 24 of the safety lock. This renders all portions of the safety lock flush with the surface of the container so that there are no projections. In accordance therewith you will also note recess 25 in the base of the container in which is positioned auxiliary catch 26 once again to guard against any projections beyond the general outer surface of container 20. It can be easily seen how recessing of these exterior mechanisms can help to avoid accidental opening of the safety lock. Naturally, as discussed above, the lock in its various embodiments may be employed in many other types of containers for principally the similar purpose of protecting against dangerous articles coming into the hands of small children particularly in the home.

Turning to the mechanics of operating the safety lock itself, one embodiment is depicted in FIGS. 4 and 5 which may be obviously applied to the container depicted in FIGS. 1-3.

FIG. 4 depicts the safety lock in a locked position. The device consists primarily of a large grasping handle located entirely within the recess 23 of closure 22 of the container. Handle or knob 27 is of a configuration which lends itself to no sharp or pointed edges to cause possible damage to the hands of the user. Additionally, the minimum exposed diameter of knob 27 is larger than the diameter or span of a hand of a small child, with the knob diameter preferably being at least four inches. Knob 27 is mounted on rod 28 the upper end of which slidably fits within downward extension 29 of knob 27 and is fixed therein by any common means. It will be 4 further noted that rod 28 is journaled within ball 31 which is seated in a socket formed on the surface of container 20 by means of

plates

32 and 33 which are bolted by bolts 34 to closure 22.

Rod 28 is limited in its downward motion relative to ball 31 by the fact that the outer diameter of extension 29 is greater than the bore in ball 31.

At the lower end of rod 28 is mounted a horizontal bar 34 having one end thereof 35 which will engage with a portion of the catch mechanism to unlock the container. A spring 36 is positioned on rod 28 so that it acts on the lower surface of ball 31 and the upper surface of bar 34 thereby biasing knob 27 downwardly along with end 35 in the locked position.

The play of ball 31 in its socket formed by

plates

32 and 33 allows a tipping motion of knob 27 should any one side of the knob be raised or depressed such as by the fingers of a small child. Should such an action take place, end 35 will not engage with any portion of the catch mechanism within the closure so that the locks would become unlocked. In order for end 35 to engage with and release with the catch mechanism, the knob must be grasped by a hand having a relatively large span so that it will be pulled upwardly along an axis substantially equivalent to the axis of rod 28. Under those circumstances, end 35 will properly engage with upper stud 30' of kicker bar 31' in a manner which will bring lower stud 32' of kicker bar 31' into engagement with downwardly extending stud 37 of bar 38. Kicker bar 31 is part of the catch mechanism and is slideably and pivotally mounted on U-shaped bracket 33' by means of pin 21 which slides in slots 35 of kicker bar 31. U- bracket 33' is mounted by any common means to the underside of closure 22 and pin 34 is journaled in channels in the U-bracket. Bar 38 is also part of the catch means and is pivotally mounted on the interior surface ofclosure 22 by means of brackets 39 and pin 39'.

When the proper engagement between end 35 and stud 37 for release takes place and the adjacent end of bar 38 is pivoted upwardly, the distal end 40 of bar 38 is consequently pivoted downwardly to engage one end ofbar 41.

Bar 41 is also pivotally mounted on the interior surface of closure 22 by means of brackets 42 and pin 43. Distal end 44 of bar 41 is normally biased downwardly by means of spring 45 mounted at one end in opening 46 of bracket 42 and at the other end in opening 47 of bar 41. When distal end 40 of bar 38 forces one end of bar 41 downwardly against thebias of spring 45, the distal end 44 of bar 41 is displaced upwardly thereby freeing it from engagement with the upper end 48 of L bracket 49. Once again, L bracket 49 is pivotally mounted to the interior surface of closure 22 by means of brackets 50 and pin 51.

When upper end 48 is free of distal end 44 of bar 41, spring 52 will tend to free the lower portion 53 of L bracket 49 from engagement with the upper portion 54 of inverted L bracket 55. This mating of surfaces, that is, the upper surface of lower portion 53 of L bracket 49 and the lower surface of the upper portion 54 of inverted L bracket 55 forms the locking surface 57 which prevents closure 22 from being removed from base 21.

However, spring 52 which is mounted at one end to bracket 50 and at the other to L bracket 49 can only remove lower portion 53 from upper portion 54 to a certain extent. This is due to block 58 mounted on the underside of brackets 50. In this manner, the safety lock cannot be entirely unlocked by means of an upward motion of knob 27 alone since L bracket 55 is positioned, as shown in phantom in FIG. 5, such that part of upper portion 54 will still engage with part of lower portion 53 of L bracket 49. An additional auxiliary catch release 59 is necessary to complete the unlocking of the container. This feature is an additional safeguard in that while one hand of the older person or adult is engaged with pulling knob 27 upwardly, his other hand will have to be employed with releasing auxiliary safety catch 59 in order to completely open the closure. In this manner, it is virtually impossible to open container 20 by the use of two two hands on knob 27.

Auxiliary safety catch 59 is comprised principally of a push button 60 mounted on one end of a rod 61 which is slideably mounted in suitable holes in bracket arrangement 62 so that when button 60 is pushed inwardly it will also push rod 61 inwardly and its distal end 63 which is mounted in the lower end of inverted L bracket 55 will horizontally move L bracket 55 suificiently to allow clearance between upper portion 54 and lower portion 53 thereby freeing closure 22 to be opened. A spring 64 is mounted on rod 61 and serves to bias button 60 outwardly so that when the pressure thereon is released it will return to its normal position.

FIG. 5 depicts the position of the above described elements of this embodiment in their respective positions when container 20 is in an open position and closure 22 may be open to permit entrance to the interior of container 20. Naturally, because of

springs

36 and 64, when the container is re-locked knob 27 must be pulled upwardly and button 60 must be depressed in order to permit clearance between

portions

53 and 54 so that the box may be closed.

Turning to the embodiment of FIGS. 6 and 7, once again the type of container and positioning of the exterior portion of the safety lock may be the same as that of the embodiment discussed above. However, the operational mechanism is comprised of somewhat different elements. 7

Knob 27a is virtually identical with knob 27 of the previous embodiment and this substantially holds true with respect to rod 28a, ball 31a,

plates

32a and 33a, and bolts 34a.

However, in this embodiment, the unlocking action is a downward pressure upon knob 27 and therefore spring 36a is'located between ball 31a and knob 27a instead of below ball 31a as in the previous embodiment. This naturally tends to return knob 27a to its normal position after the pressure on knob 27a to unlock the container has been released. Once again, the downward pressure on knob 27a must be substantially concentrated about a central axis so that rod 28a slides through ball 31a and contacts the desirable portion of the locking means. Therefore, any pressure on any one corner or side or edge of knob 27a will serve to rotate ball 31 a certain amount and prevent the proper downward motion of rod 28a so that it contacts the locking means properly. As previously discussed, knob 27a is of sufficient size to minimize the possibility of a small child exerting the proper downward pressure with one hand. In both of these embodiments the downward pressure of one hand is primarily necessary since a box of the type shown would normally have to be held in position with the other hand of the operator in order to exert the proper amount of pressure on 27a to unlock the locking mechanism.

The portion of the catch means of this embodiment which primarily associates with rod 28a is of a different structure than that in the previous embodiment. An elongated horizontally extending rod 65a is mounted on the interior surface of closure 22 by means of brackets 66a and pin 67a in a conventional manner. Naturally this conventional manner of pivotally mounting a member between two brackets by means of a pin extending therebetween also applies to the previously mentioned similar situations in the previous embodiment. A spring 68a is mounted on brackets 66a and associated with bar 65a so as to tend to bias one end 69a of bar 65a upwardly and into engagement with the lower end 70a of bar 28a. The other end 71a of bar 65a engages with the upper end of 48a of L bracket 49a which is similar to L bracket 49 of the previous embodiment. It should be noted that both end 71a of this embodiment and end 44 of bar 41 of the previous embodiment have bevel

surfaces

72 and 72a respectively on their undersides to facilitate disengagement and re-engagement with

upper portions

48 and 48a of

L brackets

49 and 49a. This can be most advantageously seen from the position of these parts in the locked and unlocked position as illustrated in this embodiment in FIGS. 6 and 7 respectively.

The remainder of the locking mechanism and this embodiment including the auxiliary catch means is substantially identical with that of the previous embodiment and the description of the operation of those parts is equally applicable here. The principal difference in operation between the embodiments is that in the first embodiment knob 27 must be pulled upward so that rod 28 is moved upwardly along an axis relatively perpendicular to the upper surface of the closure whereas in this embodiment knob 27a must be pushed downwardly so that rod 28a is moved downwardly along an axis substantially perpendicular to the upper surface of the container. Once again it should be kept in mind that FIGS. 4 and 6 show the safety lock in a locked position while FIGS. 5 and 7 depict the safety lock in an open position which will permit closure 22 to be opened.

A third embodiment is depicted in FIGS. 814 of the drawings. In this embodiment the portion of the release means extending upwardly and externally from closure 22b consist of two handles or knobs 73b and 74b. It should be noted that although 73b and 74b extend from the upper surface of closure 22b, they are recessed so that no portion thereof extends above the uppermost surface of closure 22b. 73b is mounted on a slat 75b by means of pin 76b. Slat 75b is pivotally mounted to the underside of closure 22b by means of pivot 77b which may be any common type of fastening means which will permit the rotation of slat 75b. An arcuate slot 78a in the surface of closure 22b restricts the rotational movement of slat 75b.

Knob 74b is similarly mounted on slat 7% by means of pin 80b. Slat 79b is mounted on pivot 81b which, in turn, is mounted on bracket 82b by means of pin 8%. Bracket 82b is mounted by any convenient means to the undersurface of closure 22b. There is an arcuate slot 84b in bracket 82b which allows pivot 81b a predetermined amount of sliding movement.

It should be noted that only knobs 73b and 74b are exposed with the remainder of the release mechanism being housed on the undersurface of the closure so that operation of the release means requires a grasping of both knobs.

A downwardly extending finger 85b having a horizontal extension 86b by which it is mounted to slideable pivot 8111 by means of pin 83b extends into the container. An additional pin 87b may be inserted into extension 86b and pivot 81b in order to assist in preventing any rotational movement of finger 85b with respect to pivot 81b. A spring 88b mounted at one end to pin 83b and at its other end to a downwardly extending portion of bracket 82b biases pivot 81b to one extremity in slot 84b.

Slat 75b and 791) have downwardly extending panels 89b and 90b respectively which form engaging surfaces for the slats at same portion of their rotation about their respective pivots.

To unlock the safety lock, both knobs 73b and 74b must be grasped simultaneously when the safety lock is in the locked position as shown in FIG. 8 and rotated in a clockwise direction. Due to the engagement between panels 89b and 90b both slat 75b and 79b will now rotate about pivot 77b so that slideable pivot 81b is moved against the bias of spring 88b to the other extremity of slot 84b. Consequently, finger 85b will be moved in the same direction to the same degree where it will contact portions of the catch mechanism within the container and unlock the lock.

In particular, in the opened position as depicted in FIGS. 10 and 11, finger 85b has displaced one end of angle bar 91b against the bias of spring 92b. Angle bar 91b is pivotally mounted on bracket 93b by means of pin 94b. In turn bracket 93b is conveniently mounted to the interior surface of closure 22b. In accordance therewith, spring 92b is fastened at one end to bracket 93b and at its other end to angle bar 91b so that it tends to bias the end to which it is attached in a downward direction. The lower end 95b of angle bar 91b is connected to the upper end of a second angle bar 96b. This connection is accomplished by means of pin 97b. It should be noted that a slot 98b exists in the upper end of angle bar 96b to permit a predetermined amount of sliding play between the connected ends of angle bar 91b and angle bar 96b. Angle bar 96b is pivotally mounted to bracket 93b by means of pin 99b.

The lower portion 53b of 96b combines with the upper portion 54b of another angle bar 55b in order to form the locking surface of the container which is similar to that the previous embodiments. Once again, an auxiliary catch means is employed in a similar matter as in the previous embodiments to achieve the complete disengagement between the locking portion of the container. Also, as in previous embodiments auxiliary catch means 59b is mounted to base 211) of container 20b and serves to support angle bar 55b which aids in forming the locking surface. As similarly discussed in the other embodiments when knob 73b and 74b are released and button 60b is released, spring 8% and spring 64b will return these mechanisms to their normal locked position. Therefore, when it is desirable to re-close and relock the container, the external release mechanisms need only be moved to their unlocked position, the closure closed and the external mechanisms released.

The distance between knob 74b and 73b is substantially equivalent to the diameter of

knob

27 and 27a of the previously discussed embodiments. Therefore, having to grasp both knobs 73b and 74b and turn simultaneously with one hand is substantially the same as grasping

knob

27 and 27a with one hand and either pulling and pushing the knob with respect to the container as the particular embodiment dictates.

As previously stated, the safety lock will not operate in this embodiment if either knob 73b or knob 74b is rotated independently. This is particularly demonstrated in FIGS. 13 and 14 which shows that the rotational action of slat 75b and 79b when either knob 73b or 74b is moved to either extremity. Slat 75b will rotate about pivot 77b while slat 79b will rotate about pivot 81b which will not slide within slot 84b. Therefore, finger 85b will then not be brought into contact with any portion of the catch means on the interior of the container. In order for the safety lock to be opened as previously discussed, both knobs 73b and 74b must be grasped simultaneously and rotated in a clockwise direction so that moveable pivot 81b is displaced Within slot 84b.

It is also contemplated that this embodiment. among others, may be electrically operated in a common well known manner so that knobs similar to 73b and 74b in design and position would have to be both depressed in order to activate the release mechanism and release the catch inside the container. Similarly the auxiliary catch means could be electrically operated so that a depression of the button would completely release the locks electrically. Once again, any common electrical system would be adequate.

It should also be kept in mind that in all of the previously discussed embodiments, all of the release and catch mechanism is mounted to the closure portion of the container with the exception of only the auxiliary catch means and the lowest locking angle bar. This naturally provides the greatest storage area within the container base portion without having any major portion of the lock mechanism interfering therewith.

I claim:

1. A safety lock for a container having an opening on the surface thereof and a closure normally positioned over the opening to form a closed container for housing articles dangerous to small children comprising; catch means adapted to be mounted within said container, release means adapted to 'be moveably mounted on said container and having one portion thereof extending within said container and another portion thereof extending without said container, said one portion being associated with said catch means, said other portion having a grasping surface which has a diameter of at least approximately four inches, said one portion releasing said catch means when moved in a predetermined direction with respect to an axis by a person other than a small child grasping and moving said grasping means in said direction with only one hand thereby permitting said closure to be removed and allowing said person to gain access to the interior of said container, and an auxiliary catch release mounted on said container including means interior of said container to cooperate with said release means in releasing said catch means and means exterior of said container to be operated by said person substantially at the same time as said release means to release said catch means whereby if only one of said release means and said auxiliary catch release is operated, said catch means will not be released.

2. The invention in accordance with claim 1 wherein the release means includes a knob forming said grasping means mounted on one end of a rod, said rod adapted to be pivotally and slideably mounted on said container with the other end thereof extending into said container, a bar mounted on the other end of said rod at a point intermediate the ends of the bar, and said bar positioned adjacent to said catch means so that when said knob is grasped and pulled away from the surface of said container along a predetermined axis, the bar will engage a portion of said catch means and assist in releasing said catch means.

3. The invention in accordance with claim 2 wherein said rod is slideably mounted in a ball having a channel therethrough to receive said rod, and said ball adapted to be mounted in a socket on said closure thereby permitting the pivotally movement of said rod and knob.

4. The invention in accordance with claim 1 wherein the release means includes an enlarged knob forming said grasping means mounted on one end of a rod, said rod adapted to be pivotably and slideably mounted on the container with the other end thereof extending into said container, the other end of said rod positioned in respect to said catch means so that once said knob is grasped and pushed toward the surface of the container along a predetermined axis, the other end of the rod will engage a portion of said locking means and release the catch means to permit the container to be opened.

5. The invention in accordance with claim 4 wherein said rod is slideably mounted in a ball having a channel therethrough to receive said rod, and said ball is adapted to be mounted in a socket on the container thereby permitting the pivotal movement of said rod and knob.

6. The invention in accordance with claim 1 wherein the release means includes a first slat rotatably mounted on a fixed pivot on the container, a pin on said slat adjacent one end portion thereof adapted to be slideably channelled in an arcuate slot formed by surfaces of the container, a second slat rotatably mounted on a moveable pivot slideably mounted on a slot defined by surfaces on the container and positioned so that a first end portion thereof contacts the other end portion of said first slat at some point during the rotation of said slats, a second pin on said second slat adjacent to second end portion thereof adapted to be slideably channelled in an arcuate slot formed by surfaces of the container, a finger extending from said moveable pivot, and pins cooperating to form said grasping means so that when the pins are rotated together the contacting portions of said slats will cause said slats to rotate about said fixed pivot and said moveable pivot and attached finger will be displaced so that said finger will engage a portion of said catch means and release the catch means to permit the container to be opened and when either of said pins is rotated independently the slat attached thereto will rotate independently about the pivot to which it is attached with said finger remaining in its normally locked position.

7. The invention in accordance with claim 6 wherein a spring is adapted to be mounted on said container and said releasing means tending to maintain said releasing means in a normally locked position so that when the grasping means is released the releasing means will return to the locked position.

8. A container for housing articles which are dangerous to small children comprising; a base portion having an open side, a closure normally positioned over said open side, a safety lock associated with said container to permit access to the interior thereof to a person other than a small child, said safety lock including catch means mounted within said container, said safety lock including release means moveably mounted on said container and having one portion thereof extending within said container and another portion thereof extending without said container, said one portion being associated with said catch means, said other portion having a grasping surface of a diameter of at least approximately four inches, said one portion releasing said catch means when moved in a predetermined direction with respect to an axis by a person other than a small child grasping and moving said grasping means in said direction with one hand only thereby permitting said container to be opened and permitting access to the interior of said container, and an auxiliary catch release mounted to said container including means interior of said container to cooperate with said release means in releasing said catch means and means exterior of said container to be operated by said person substantially at the same time as said release means to release said catch means whereby if only one of said release means and said auxiliary catch release is operated, said catch means will not be released.

9. The invention in accordance with claim 8 wherein a release means includes a knob forming said grasping means mounted on one of a rod, said rod adapted to be pivotably and slideably mounted on said container with the other end thereof extending into said container, a bar mounted on the other end of the rod at a point intermediate the ends of the bar, and said bar positioned adjacent to said catch means so that when said knob is grasped and pulled away from the surface of said container along a predetermined axis, the bar will engage a portion of said catch means and assist in releasing said catch means.

10. The invention in accordance with claim 9 wherein said rod is slideably mounted in a ball having a channel therethrough to receive said rod, and said ball adapted to be mounted in a socket on said container thereby permitting the pivotal movement of said rod and knob.

11. The invention in accordance with claim 8 wherein the releasing means includes a knob forming said grasping means mounted on one end of a rod, said rod adapted to be pivotably and slideably mounted on the container with the other end thereof extending into the container, the other end of said rod positioned in respect to said catch means so that when said knob is grasped and pushed toward the surface of the container along a predetermined axis, the other end of the rod will engage a portion of said catch means and release the catch means to permit the container to be opened.

12. The invention in accordance with claim 11 wherein said rod is slideably mounted in a ball having a channel therethrough to receive said rod, and said ball is adapted to be mounted in a socket on the container thereby permitting the pivotal movement of said rod and knob.

13. The invention in accordance with claim 8 wherein the releasing means includes a first slat rotatably mounted on a fixed pivot on the container, a pin on said slat adjacent one end portion thereof adapted to the slideably channelled in an arcuate slot formed by surfaces of the container, a second slat rotatably mounted on a moveable pivot slideably mounted in an arcuate slot defined by surfaces on the container and positioned so that a first end portion thereof contacts the other end portion of said first slat at some point during the rotation of said slats, a second pin on said second slat adjacent the second end portion thereof adapted to be slideably channelled in an arcuate slot formed by surfaces of the container, a finger extending from said moveable pivot, said pins cooperating to form said grasping means so that when the pins are rotated together the contacting portion of said slats will cause said slats to rotate about said fixed pivot and said moveable pivot and extending finger will be displaced so that said finger will engage a portion of said catch means and release the catch means to permit the container to be opened and when either of said pins is rotated independently the slot attached thereto will rotate independently about the pivot to which it is attached with said finger remaining in its normally locked position.

14. The invention in accordance with claim 13 wherein a spring is mounted on said container and said releasing means tending to maintain said releasing means in a normally locked position so that when the grasping means is released the releasing means will return to the locked position.

15. A safety lock for a container having an opening on the surface thereof and a closure normally positioned over the opening to form a closed container comprising; catch means including two angle brackets movable becatch means includnig two angle brackets movable between a locked position where portions thereof form interengaging locking surfaces and an unlocked position Where said surfaces are disengaged to permit disengagement therebetween, release means adapted to be movably mounted on said container and having one portion thereof extending within said container and the other portion thereof extending outside of said container, said other portion having a grasping surface which has a diameter of at least approximately four inches, said catch means including linkage means connecting said angle brackets with said one portion of said release means so that when said other portion is grasped and moved in a predetermined manner said linkage will move said angle brackets from the locked position to the unlocked position, and an auxiliary catch release mounted on said container including means interior of said container to cooperate with said release means in releasing said catch means and means exterior of said container to be operated by said person substantially at the same time as said release means to release said catch means whereby only one of said release means and said auxiliary catch release is operated, said catch means will not be released.

16. A container for housing articles which are dangerous to small children comprising; a base portion having an open side, a closure normally positioned over said open side, a safety lock associated with said container to permit access to the interior thereof to a person other than a small child, said safety lock including catch means mounted within said container, said catch means including two angle brackets movable between a locked position where portions thereof form interengaging locking surfaces and an unlocked position where said surfaces are disengaged to permit disengagement therebetween, release means adapted to be movably mounted on said container and having one portion thereof extending within said container and the other portion thereof extending outside of said container, said other portion having a grasping surface which has a diameter of at least approximately four inches, said catch means including linkage means connecting said angle brackets with said one portion of said release means so that when said other portion is grasped and moved in a predetermined manner, said linkage will move said angle bracket from the locked position to the unlocked position permitting said container to be opened, and an auxiliary catch release mounted on said container including means interior of said container to cooperate with said release means in releasing said catch means and means exterior of said container to be operated by said person substantially at the same time at said release means to release said catch means whereby if only one of said release means and said auxiliary catch release is operated, said catch means will not be released.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 451,616 5/1891 Egelston 292-174 825,463 7/ 1906 Hulbert .s 292-227 2,171,663 9/1939 Marchand 312-319 2,233,699 3/ 1941 Gorrell 292-227 2,93 6,189 5/1960 Pearson 292-42 3,160,431 12/ 1964 Anderson 292-42 10 MARVIN A. CHAMPION, Primary Examiner E. J. MCCARTHY, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R.