US3820675A

US3820675A - Safety bottle device

Info

Publication number: US3820675A
Application number: US00279380A
Authority: US
Inventors: R Malles
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1972-05-18
Filing date: 1972-08-10
Publication date: 1974-06-28
Anticipated expiration: 1991-06-28

Abstract

A safety closure means for a bottle having a neck portion with an extending end providing an opening therethrough and an outer surface with threads thereon, said closure means comprising a first outer member having top and bottom ends, an intermediate portion, and an opening therethrough providing an internal surface, said first member being provided with threads on its internal surface at its top end and with threads on its internal surface at its bottom end advancing in a direction opposite to the threads at its top end, said first member being removably securable with the threaded neck of a bottle by threaded engagement therewith, and a second inner member received into the opening of said first member and having a outer surface provided with threads threadedly engaging the threads of said first member at its top end, said second member having a bottom end extendible into the bottom of said first member, said closure means being secured with said bottle and sealing the opening through its neck when said first member threadedly engages the neck of said bottle and is secured thereon and said second member is placed in its closed position by turning it in the direction to advance its bottom end toward the bottom end of the first member covering the opening in the end of the neck of said bottle.

Description

United States Patent [191 Malles 111 3,820,675 June 28, 1974 SAFETY BO'I'ILE DEVICE [76] Inventor: Raymond W. Malles, Cedar Ln.,

' PO. Box 20, Wycombe, Pa. 18980 22 Filed: Aug. 10,1972 21 App1.No.:279,380

Related U.S. Application Data [63] Continuation-in-part of Ser. No. 254,43], May 18,

Primary Examiner-George T. Hall 5 7 ABSTRACT A safety closure means for a bottle having a neck portion with an extending end providing an opening therethrough and an outer surface with threads thereon, said closure means comprising a first outer member having top and bottom ends, an intermediate portion, and an opening therethrough providing an internal surface, said first member being provided with threads on its internal surface at its top end and with threads on its internal surface at its bottom end advancing in a direction opposite to the threads at its top end, said first member being removably securable with the threaded neck of a bottle by threaded engagement therewith, and a second inner member received into theopening of said first member and having a outer surfaceprovided with threads threadedly engaging the threads of said first member at its top end, said second member having a bottom end extendible into the bottom of said first member, said closure means being secured with said bottle and sealing the opening through its neck when said first member threadedly engages the neck of said bottle and is secured thereon and said second member is placed in its closed position by turning it in the direction to advance its bottom end toward the bottom end of the first member covering the opening in the end of the neck of said bottle.

20 Claims, 8 Drawing Figures PATENTEnauuze I974 SHEET 1. [1F 2 1 SAFETY BoTrLE DEVICE This is a continuation-in-part application of my application, Ser. No. 254,431 filed on May 18, 1972 and entitled Safety Bottle Means.

The invention relates to a safety bottle means and closure therefor, and more particularly to a bottle means which has a closure which securely seals the opening of the bottle and is designed to prevent young children from opening such bottles to avoid their exposure to harmful materials.

Many attempts have been made to provide a fool proof bottle with an enclosure which will prevent opening of medicine bottles and other such bottles by children to avoid exposing children to the danger inherent in ingesting or contacting such materials. Such prior art devices however have not been fully successful in accomplishing the desired results.

It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a new and improved safety bottle means having a closure which may readily be applied and removed from the bottle in accordance with a predetermined procedure, while providing difficulties for its removal by small children.

Another object of the invention provides a new and improved safety bottle means which securely seal the contents of the bottle, and may be readily removed and applied only by following predetermined procedures.

Another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved safety bottle means which may be inexpensively manufactured, is rugged in construction and may be used and reused over an extended period of time.

The above objects, as well as many other objects are achieved'by providing a safety bottle means comprising a bottle having a neck portion with an extending end and an opening therethrough. The neck portion has an outer surface provided with right hand threads. A bottle closure means comprises first and second members with the first member having top and bottom ends, an intermediate portion, and an opening therethrough providing an internal surface. The first member is provided with left hand threads on its internal surface at its top end and with right hand threads on its internal surface at its bottom end. The first member is removably secured with the neck of the bottle by threaded engagement of their respective right hand threads.

The first member of the bottle closure means is provided with a sealing element extending from its intermediate portion within its opening in the direction towards its bottom end, the sealing element is received over the end of and extends into the opening at the end of the neck, when the first member is secured with the neck.

The second member is received into the opening of the first member and has an outer surface provided with left hand threads which threadedly engage the left hand threads of the first member. The second member has a bottom end which is extendible into the bottom end of the first member.

The closure means is secured with the bottle and seals the opening through its neck when the first member threadedly engages the neck of the bottle and is secured by turning it in the right hand direction, after which a second member is placed in its closed position by turning it in the left hand direction to advance its bottom end in the direction toward the bottom end of the first member. The sealing element is compressed between the end of the neck and the bottom end of the second member when the second member is advanced to its closed position plugging the opening in the end of the neck. Thus the end of the bottle is sealed and the first member of the closure means is removable only after its sealing element is released by turning the second member in the right hand direction to remove it from its closed position.

The foregoing and other objects of the invention will become more apparent as the following detailed description of the invention is read in conjunction with the drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is an enlarged sectional view of a bottle means embodying the invention, with a portion of the bottle broken away,

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the first member of the closure means of FIG. 1 when removed from the neck of the bottle,

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the bottle closure means of FIG. 1 and the neck portion of the bottle,

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the closure means of FIG. 1 showing indicia for securing and removing the closure means from the bottle,

FIG. 5 is an enlarged sectional view of a modified form of bottle means embodying the invention, with a portion of the bottle broken away,

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of the second member of the closure means of FIG. 5 when removed from the first member and the neck of the bottle,

FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of the bottle closure means of FIG. 5 and the neck portion of the bottle, and

FIG. 8 is a top plan view of the closure means of FIG. 5 showing indicia for securing and removing the closure means from the bottle.

Like numerals designate like parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the figures, the safety bottle means 10 embodying the invention and shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 inclusive, includes a bottle 12 provided with a bottle closure means 14. The bottle 12 may be of conventional form and made of glass, plastic, metal or any other suitable material. The bottle 12 provides a cavity 15 therein for containing material to be sealed in the bottle, and a neck 16 with an opening 18 extending therethrough. The extending end 20 of the neck 16 provides an entrance 17 to the opening 18 and has an inwardly tapered surface 21. The outer surface 22 of the neck 16 is of a circular cylindrical form and is provided with right hand threads 24.

The closure means 14 comprises a first outer member 26 and a second inner member 28 and may be composed of a plastic or other suitable material.

The outer member 26 has a substantially cylindrical form with a circular cross section and an outer surface 30. An opening 32 extends axially through the member 26 providing an inner surface 34. The inner surface 34 of the outer member 26 is provided with left hand threads 36 at the top end 38, and right hand threads 40 at the bottom end 42. A plurality of flexible fingers 44 extend from the intermediate portion 46 of the outer member 26 to provide a sealing element 45. The fingers 44 extend angularly inward toward each other and in a downward direction towards the bottom end 42 to provide a tapered configuration. The fingers 44 of the sealing element 45 are received into the entrance 17 of the opening 18 at the end 20 of the bottle 12, when the right hand threads 40 threadedly engage the right hand threads 22 of the bottle 12, and the outer member 26 is rotated in the right hand direction for securing same with the bottle 12 (see FIG. 1).

The inner member 28 of the closure means 14 has a top handle portion 48 for facilitating the manual rotation of the member 28, an intermediate circular cylindrical portion 50 having an outer surface 52 providing thereon left hand threads 54, and a bottom portion 56 which tapers in the downward direction to reduced size providing an extending plug.

The inner member 28 is received within the opening 32 of the outer member 26 and threadedly engages the left hand threads of its intermediate portion 50 with the left hand threads 36 of the top portion 38 of the outer member 26 as shown in FIG. 1. A metal spring retaining ring 39 is positioned within the opening 32 in a annular groove 41 proximate to the top of the top portion 38 of the outer member 26 and above the inner member 28. This prevents the accidental removal of the inner member 28 from the outer member 26.

In operation when the closure means 14 is to be applied to the bottle 12 for sealing its contents therewithin, the outer member 26 is secured with the neck 16 of the bottle 12 by threadedly engaging their respective

right hand threads

40 and 24 and rotating the outer member 26 in the right hand direction until its sealing element 45 overlays the tapered surface 21 at the entrance 17 of the bottle neck 16 as shown in FIG. 1. The inner member 28 of the closure means 14, is within the outer member 26 during the application of the outer member 26 to the neck 16 of the bottle 12 and positioned with its bottom end 56 out of contact with the sealing element 45 of the outer member 26.

The inner member 28 may now be advanced in a downward direction by rotating it in the left hand direction by manipulation of the top handle portion 48. As the inner member 28 is advanced in a downward direction towards its closed position, its bottom tapered portion 56 engages the top surfaces 58 of the plurality of fingers 44 of the sealing element 45 and compresses same between it and the tapered surface 21 at the end of the bottle neck 16. This results in the compressing of the sealing element by the clamping force exerted thereon firmly securing and sealing the closure means with the neck 16 of the bottle 12. ln addition to the sealing action, the clamping of the sealing member 45 securely retains the outer member 26 with the bottle neck 16 preventing its removal by rotation in the usual manner.

In order to remove the closure means the procedure described above must be carried out in the reverse order. Thus, the inner member 28 must first be rotated in the right hand or in the clockwise direction for releasing the sealing member 45, after which the outer member 26 may be rotated in the usual counterclockwise direction to remove it from the bottle neck.

For ease of carrying out the opening and closing procedures, indicia in the form of words and arrows may be utilized on the respective members of the closure means l4 as illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4.

The safety bottle means may thus be readily opened and closed by carrying out the procedures required in accordance with the indicia, while a small child will have difficulty in manipulating the members in the order and direction required to achieve the removal of the closure means 14, especially when it is tightly sealed in the manner described above.

In addition to the above advantages, the invention is applicable to bottles 12 provided with necks having right hand threads, and the closure means 14 may be readily and inexpensively manufactured and produced and applied to such bottles for providing the safety features which will prevent and minimize the harm which may be occassioned by the tampering with and removal of non-safety closures from bottles containing dangerous substances.

Refer to FIGS. 5 thru 8 inclusive which disclose the safety bottle means which is a modified form of the safety bottle means 10 described above. Since the safety bottle means 60 is in many respects similar to the safety bottle means 10, the differences in structure will be described in detail.

The safety bottle means 60 includes a bottle 12 which may be of conventional form and is provided at its extending end 20 with an outwardly protruding annular ledge 21 and right hand threads 24 about the outer surface 22' of the bottle neck 16, and a closure means 61.

The closure means 61 comprises a first outer member 62 and a second inner member 64. The outer member 62 has a substantially cylindrical form with a circular cross-section and an opening 66 which extends axially through the top end 68 of the outer member 62 providing an inner surface 70, while an opening 72 of reduced diameter extends through the bottom end 74 providing an inner surface 76. The inner surface of the outer member 62 is provided with left hand threads 78 at its intermediate region while the inner surface 70 curves inwardly at its bottom region 80 forming a protruding stop 82 of annular form separating the inner surface 70 at the top end 68 of the member 62 from the inner surface 76 in the bottom end 74. The inner surface 76 is provided with right hand threads 84.

The inner member 64 of the closure means 61 has a top handle portion 86, and a bottom circular cylindrical portion 88 having an outer surface 90 providing thereon left hand threads 92 and a flat bottom surface 94 (See FIG. 5). A plurality of flexible fingers 96 extend downwardly from the bottom portion 88 of the inner member 64 to provide a sealing element 98. The fingers 96 extend inward toward each other and in a downward direction to provide a tapered configuration, when received over the ledge 21' at the extending end 20 of the bottle 12' about the end of the neck 16' as shown in FIG. 5.

The inner member 64 is received within the opening 66 of the outer member 62 and threadedly engages the left hand threads 92 of its bottom portion 88 with the left hand threads 78 of the outer member 62 as shown in FIG. 5. A plurality of inwardly extending retainer segments 100 at the top of the opening 66 of the outer member 62 are sufficiently flexible to allow the bottom portion 88 of the inner member 64 to be passed into the opening 66, while acting as a retainer requiring exertion of force to remove the inner member 64 from the outer member 62 after it is received therewithin. This prevents the accidental removal of the inner member 64 from the outer member 62.

In operation, the closure means 60 is applied to the botle 12' for sealing its contents therewithin. The bottle 12' may have its contents factory sealed by a sealing With the seal 102 enclosing the opening 17 of the bottle 12', where such a seal is utilized, the outer mem ber 62 is positioned over and secured withthe neck 16' of the bottle 12' by threadedly engaging their respective

right hand threads

84 and 24, and rotating the outer member 62 in the right hand direction until its protruding stop 82 is positioned to prevent further rotation, as shown in FIG. 5. The inner member 64 of the closure means 61, which is retained within the outer member 62 during the application of the outer member 62 to the neck 16' of the bottle 12', is positioned with its bottom surface 94 out of contact with the end 20 of the neck 16 of the bottle 12.

The inner member 64 with its threads 92 engaging the threads 78 of the outer member 62, is now advanced in the downward direction by turning it in the left hand direction by manipulating the top handle portion 86. The inner member 64 is thus moved downwardly into its closed position, in which its bottom surface 94 engages the sealing disc 102 and clamps it between itself and the top end 20' of the bottle l2.With the downward movement of the inner member 64, the flexible fingers 96 of the sealing element 98 extend over the outwardly protruding circular ledge 21 of the bottle neck 16 and are urged inwardly by the surface 80 of the outer member 62 for extending about and being wedged between the outer surface of the bottle neck 16' and the outer member 62. This results in the compressing of the sealing element 98 by the clamping force exerted thereonfirmly securing and sealing the closure means 61 with the neck 16 of the bottle 12. The wedging of the sealing member 98 between the neck 16 of the bottle 12' and the outer member 62, also securely retains the outer member 62 with the bottle neck 16' preventing its removal by rotation in the usual manner.

The same procedure in reverse must be utilized as described above in connection with the safety closure means for removing the closure means 60 from the bottle 12'. lndicia may also be applied to the means 60 as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 for indicating the opening and closing procedures.

In addition to the advantages noted above in connection with the safety closure means 10, the safety closure means 60 provides a sealing means in which the bottle means 12' may be initially sealed at the factory by a wax paper seal in the conventional manner and the bottle closure means 61 applied thereafter without affecting the factory seal. After the factory seal is broken the closure means 61 may still be applied and utilized in the regular manner to provide the desired sealing and safety featuresv While this invention has been described and illustrated with reference to several specific embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is capable of various modifications and applications, not departing essentially from the spirit thereof, which will become apparent to those skilled in the art.

What is claimed is:

l. A safety closure means for a bottle having a neck portion with an extending end providing an opening therethrough and an outer surface with threads thereon, said closure means comprising a first outer member having top and bottom ends, an intermediate portion, and an opening therethrough providing an internal surface, said first member being provided with threads on its internal surface at its top end and with threads on its internal surface at its bottom end advancing in a direction opposite to the threads at its top end, said first member being removably securable with the threaded neck of a bottle by threaded engagement therewith, and a second inner member received into the opening of said first member and having a outer surface provided withthreads threadedly engaging the threads of said first member at its top end, said second member having a bottom end extendible into the bottom end of said first member, said closure means being secured with said bottle and sealing the opening through its neck when said first member threadedly engages the neck of said bottle and is secured thereon and said second member is placed in its closed position by turning it in the direction to advance its bottom end toward the bottom end of the first member plugging the opening in the end of the neck of said bottle.

2. The means of claim 1 in which the first member of said bottle closure means is provided with a sealing ele' ment extending from its intermediate portion within its opening in the direction toward its bottom end, said sealing element being received over the end of and extending into the opening at the end of said neck when said first member is secured with said neck, said sealing element being compressed between the end of said neck and the bottom end of said second member when said second member is advanced to its closed position, whereby the end of the bottle is sealed and the first member of said closure means is removable only after its sealing element is released by turning its second member in the direction to remove it from its closed position. 7

3. The means of claim 2 in which the first member is cylindrical in form and is provided with left hand threads on its internal surface at its top end and with right hand threads on its internal surface at its bottom end, and said second member has a top handle portion, an intermediate portion providing said outer surface and having left hand threads, and a bottom portion with a tapered configuration for extending into the opening in the end of the neck of said bottle and compressing the sealing element of said first member between it and the end of the neck.

4. The means of claim 3 in which the first and second members are composed of a plastic: compressible material.

5. The means of claim 2 in which said sealing element comprises a plurality of flexible fingers extending angularly inward toward each other to provide a tapered configuration for being received into the opening in the end of the neck of said bottle.

6. The means of claim 2 including a bottle having a neck portion with an extending end providing an opening therethrough and an outer surface with threads thereon, and in which the end of the bottle neck has an entrance to its opening provided by an inwardly tapering surface conforming with the tapered configuration of the bottom portion of said second member for receiving thereover the sealing element of said first member for being clamped therebetween.

7. The means of claim 6 in which the outer surface of the neck of said bottle has right hand threads thereon, the first member is cylindrical in form and is provided with left hand threads on its internal surface at its top end and with right hand threads on its internal surface at its bottom end, and said second member has a top handle portion, an intermediate portion providing said outer surface and having left hand threads, and a bottom portion with a tapered configuration for extending into the opening in the end of the neck of said bottle and compressing the sealing element of said first member between it and the end of the neck.

8. The means of claim 7 in which the first and second elements are composed of a plastic compressible material.

9. The means of claim 8 in which said sealing element comprises a plurality of flexible fingers extending angularly inward toward each other to provide a tapered configuration for being received into the opening in the end of the neck of said bottle.

10. The means of claim 9 in which said first member has a cylindrical configuration with a circular cross section, and said members bear respective indicia for the steps of opening and closing said closure means.

ll. The means of claim 1 in which the second member of said bottle closure means is provided with a sealing element extending from the bottom end of said second member toward the neck of said bottle, said sealing element extending over and about the end of said neck and being wedged between the end of said neck and the internal surface of said first member when said second member is advanced to its closed position, whereby the end of the bottle is sealed and the first member of said closure means is removable only after its sealing element is released by turning its second member in the direction to remove it from its closed position.

12. The means of claim 11 in which the first member is cylindrical in form and is provided with left hand threads on its internal surface at its top end and with right hand threads on its internal surface at its bottom end, and said second member has a top handle portion, and an intermediate portion providing said outer surface and having left hand threads.

13. The means of claim 11 including a paper sealing disc engaging the neck of said bottle and extending over its opening, said sealing disc being compressed between the end of said neck and the bottom end of said second member when said second member is advanced to its closed position maintaining said disc in position for enclosing and sealing said opening.

14. The means of claim 12 in which said first and second members are composed of a plastic compressible material.

15. The means of claim 11 in which said sealing element comprises a plurality of flexible fingers extending angularly inward towards each other to provide a tapered configuration for being received over and about the end of the neck of said bottle.

16. The means of claim 11 including a bottle having a neck portion with an extending end providing an opening therethrough and an outer surface with threads thereon, and in which surface of the end of the bottle neck has an outwardly protruding annular ledge for receiving thereover and thereabout the said sealing element of said second member being wedged between it and said first member. s

17. The means of claim 16 in which the outer surface of the neck of said bottle has right hand threads thereon, the first member is cylindrical in form and is provided with left hand threads on its internal surface at its top end and with right hand threads on its internal surface at its bottom end, and said second member has a top handle portion, an intermediate portion providing said outer surface and having left hand threads, and a bottom portion with a flat bottom surface for extending over the opening in the end of the neck of said bottle and securing the sealing disc in position for enclosing and sealing said opening.

18. The means of claim 17 in which the first and second elements are composed of a plastic compressible material.

19. The means of claim 18 in which said sealing element comprises a plurality of flexible fingers extending angularly inward toward each other to provide a tapered configuration for being received over and about the end of the neck of said bottle.

20. The means of claim 19 in which said first member has a cylindrical configuration with a circular cross section, and said members bear respective indicia for the steps of opening and closing said closure means.

Claims

1. A safety closure means for a bottle having a neck portion with an extending end providing an opening therethrough and an outer surface with threads thereon, said closure means comprising a first outer member having top and bottom ends, an intermediate portion, and an opening therethrough providing an internal surface, said first member being provided with threads on its internal surface at its top end and with threads on its internal surface at its bottom end advancing in a direction opposite to the threads at its top end, said first member being removably securable with the threaded neck of a bottle by threaded engagement therewith, and a second inner member received into the opening of said first member and having a outer surface provided with threads threadedly engaging the threads of said first member at its top end, said second member having a bottom end extendible into the bottom end of said first member, said closure means being secured with said bottle and sealing the opening through its neck when said first member threadedly engages the neck of said bottle and is secured thereon and said second member is placed in its closed position by turning it in the direction to advance its bottom end toward the bottom end of the first member plugging the opening in the end of the neck of said bottle.

2. The means of claim 1 in which the first member of said bottle closure means is provided with a sealing element extending from its intermediate portion within its opening in the direction towarD its bottom end, said sealing element being received over the end of and extending into the opening at the end of said neck when said first member is secured with said neck, said sealing element being compressed between the end of said neck and the bottom end of said second member when said second member is advanced to its closed position, whereby the end of the bottle is sealed and the first member of said closure means is removable only after its sealing element is released by turning its second member in the direction to remove it from its closed position.

4. The means of claim 3 in which the first and second members are composed of a plastic compressible material.

11. The means of claim 1 in which the second member of said bottle closure means is provided with a sealing element extending from the bottom end of said second member toward the neck of said bottle, said sealing element extending over and about the end of said neck and being wedged between the end of said neck and the internal surface of said first member when said second member is advanced to its closed position, whereby the end of the bottle is sealed and the first member of said closure means is removable only after its sealing element is released by turning its second member in the direction to remove it from its closed position.

16. The means of claim 11 including a bottle having a neck portion with an extending end providing an opening therethrough and an outer surface with threads thereon, and in which surface of the end of the bottle neck has an outwardly protruding annular ledge for receiving thereover and thereabout the said sealing element of said second member being wedged between it and said first member.