Patent ID: 11930962
Assignee: MCCORMICK & COMPANY, INC.
Field: Furniture, games (Other fields)
Classification: CPC A | IPC A

Claim 11:
12. A closure for removably locking a cap assembly to a container comprising:
a plurality of lock protrusions, provided on a lower side of an inner circumferential surface of a grinder housing of the cap assembly, that are disposed radially at spaced intervals along the inner circumferential surface of the grinder housing; and
an annular neck of the container that includes an upper annular shoulder, a lower annular shoulder, and a recessed groove defined between the upper and lower annular shoulders, wherein
the recessed groove is configured to accommodate the plurality of lock protrusions protruding from the inner circumferential surface of the grinder housing such that, when the cap assembly is attached to the container, the plurality of lock protrusions project radially inward into the recessed groove to secure the cap assembly to the container while permitting relative rotation between the cap assembly and the container,
the recessed groove includes a plurality of lock beads that project radially outward at spaced intervals from an outer circumferential surface of the recessed groove,
when the closure is in a locked position, the lock protrusions are radially aligned with the lock beads and removal of the cap assembly from the container is prevented, and
when the closure is in a removal position, and the cap assembly and the container each receive a separation force to initiate removal the cap assembly, the closure is in an initial separation position such that:
on a side of the closure receiving the separation force, one of the plurality of lock protrusions on the inner circumferential surface of the grinder housing contacts the upper annular shoulder of the annular neck and slides upwardly and radially outwardly toward an outermost circumferential edge the upper annular shoulder to remove the one of the plurality of lock protrusions from the recessed groove and position the cap assembly in a tilted position relative to the container, and
on another side of the closure opposite of the side receiving the separation force, a lower peripheral rim portion of the grinder housing is urged downward to abut into an upper surface of the lower annular shoulder and another of the plurality of lock protrusions is retained in the recessed groove so as to restrict the cap assembly from being removed from the container.