Closure and package having child-resistant and non-child-resistant modes of operation

A closure having child-resistant and non-child-resistant modes of operation includes a plastic inner shell having a skirt with at least one internal thread, an external bead on the skirt and a circumferential array of teeth on the bead. A plastic outer shell has a skirt externally encircling the skirt of the inner shell. The outer shell has an internal bead on its skirt, a circumferential array of first teeth on one side of the internal bead, a circumferential array of second teeth on the other side of the internal bead, and at least one third engagement element adjacent to an edge of the skirt. The inner shell is positionable within the outer shell in child-resistant and non-child-resistant positions, in which the teeth on the inner skirt engage the first or second teeth on the outer shell.

The present invention relates to child-resistant closures and packages, such as medicinal packages for example, and to methods of making such packages, in which the closure and package have child-resistant and non-child-resistant modes of operation.

BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,899,348, 6,039,195 and 6,327,770 disclose closure and container packages that are particularly well-suited for prescription applications. The container includes a sidewall with an externally threaded finish and a deflectable release element cantilevered from the finish on a side of the threads remote from the open mouth of the container. The closure includes a base wall with an internally threaded peripheral skirt having locking lugs at the edge of the skirt remote from the base wall. These locking lugs on the skirt cooperate with a locking lug on the deflectable release element of the container to secure the closure to the container in a child-resistant mode of operation. To release the closure, the release element is deflected downwardly toward the container sidewall to move the locking lug on the release element out of engagement with the locking lug on the closure skirt. A dome extends from the inner periphery of the base wall and has an external thread that is adapted to be received within the open mouth of the container in an inverted non-child-resistant mode of operation of the closure. A general object to the present invention is to provide a closure and package of the general type disclosed in the noted patents, in which the closure is convertible between child-resistant and non-child-resistant modes of operation without inverting the closure with respect to the container finish.

A closure having child-resistant and non-child-resistant modes of operation, in accordance with a first aspect of a presently preferred embodiment of the invention, includes a plastic inner shell having an upper end, a skirt with at least one internal thread, at least one external bead on the skirt and at least one external engagement element on the skirt. A plastic outer shell has a skirt externally encircling the skirt of the inner shell. The outer shell has at least one internal bead on its skirt, at least one internal first engagement element on a side of the internal bead adjacent to the upper end of the inner shell, at least one second engagement element on a side of the internal bead remote from the upper end of the inner shell, and at least one third engagement element adjacent to an edge of the skirt remote from the upper end of the inner shell. The inner shell is positionable within the outer shell at a non-child-resistant first position with the external bead on the inner shell disposed on a side of the internal bead on the outer shell remote from the base wall of the inner shell, and with the second engagement element on the outer shell disposed for engagement with the external engagement element on the inner shell. The inner shell is positionable within the outer shell at a child-resistant second position with the external bead on the inner shell disposed on a side of the internal bead of the outer shell proximate to the base wall of the inner shell, and with the external engagement element of the inner shell disposed for engagement with the internal first engagement element of the outer shell.

In the preferred embodiment in accordance with this first aspect of the invention, the internal bead on the outer shell is disposed between circumferentially continuous internal channels on the skirt of the outer shell, the first internal engagement element on the outer shell includes a circumferential array of teeth within a first of the channels, and the second internal engagement element on the outer shell includes a circumferential array of teeth within a second of the internal channels. The external engagement element on the inner shell in the preferred embodiment of the invention includes a circumferential array of teeth on the external bead, which are engageable with the teeth in the first and second internal channels of the outer shell in the child-resistant and non-child-resistant modes of operation respectively.

A closure in accordance with a second aspect of the present invention includes a plastic inner shell having a skirt with at least one internal thread, and a plastic outer shell having a skirt externally encircling the skirt of the inner shell and at least one engagement element adjacent to an edge of the skirt. The skirts of the inner and outer shells have opposed radially facing surfaces. One of these surfaces has a bead with at least one tooth. The other of the surfaces has a bead, with at least one first tooth disposed above the bead and at least one second tooth disposed below the bead. The inner shell is positionable within the outer shell in a first mode of operation such that the bead on the one surface is positioned below the bead on the other surface, and the at least tooth on the bead of the first surfaces is disposed to engage the at least one second tooth on the other surface. The inner shell is positionable within the outer shell in a second mode of operation such that the bead on the one surface is positioned above the bead on the other surface, and the at least one tooth on the bead of the first surface is disposed to engage the at least one first tooth on the other surface. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the at least one tooth on the bead includes a circumferential array of teeth on the bead, the at least one first tooth includes a circumferential array of first teeth, and the at least one second tooth includes a circumferential array of second teeth. In the preferred embodiment, the bead with the circumferential array of teeth is an external bead on the inner shell, and the bead with spaced circumferential arrays of first and second teeth are an internal bead and internal arrays of teeth on the skirt of the outer shell.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1illustrates a package10in accordance with one presently preferred embodiment of the invention as including a closure12removably received on the finish14of a container16. Container16(FIGS. 1-3and6) in the illustrated embodiment of the invention includes a cylindrical finish14that is integrally connected to a container body18. A deflectable release element22is integrally cantilevered from the external surface of finish14. One or more external threads (or thread segments)24are provided on finish14between release element22and the open mouth of the container. To the extent thus far described, container16of the illustrated exemplary embodiment is similar to that disclosed in U.S. application Ser. No. 10/378,434. Container16may be made in any suitable molding operation, such as a reheat blow molding operation as disclosed in U.S. application Ser. No. 10/768,331.

Closure12includes a plastic inner shell26(FIGS. 2-4) and a plastic outer shell28(FIGS. 2-3and5) telescopically received over inner shell26. Inner shell26includes a base wall30having an external peripheral skirt32. Skirt32has one or more internal threads (or thread segments)34adapted to engage external threads24on container finish14. The illustrated embodiment of the invention also has an annular wall36that extends from base wall30radially inwardly of skirt32for plug-sealing engagement within the mouth of container finish14, although other suitable sealing means may be provided. An external circumferential bead38extends around skirt32at a position spaced from base wall30, such as adjacent to the edge of skirt32in the exemplary embodiment of the invention. A circumferential array of angularly spaced radially outwardly extending teeth40are provided around external bead38.

Outer shell28includes a cylindrical skirt42. At least one engagement element or lug44is provided adjacent to the lower edge of skirt42for engagement with a resilient locking lug46on container release element22. (Directional words such as “upper” and “lower” are employed by way of description and not limitation with respect to the upright orientation of the closure, container and package illustrated in the drawings. Directional words such as “inner,” “outer” and “radial” are employed by way of description and not limitation with respect to the axis of the container finish or the closure skirts as appropriate.) An upper circumferential array of angularly spaced radially inwardly extending axial teeth48and a lower circumferential array of angularly spaced radially inwardly extending axial teeth50are provided on the inside surface of skirt42. In the preferred embodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawings, teeth48,50are provided in respective internal channels51,52that extend around the inside surface of skirt42. Channels51,52are spaced from each other axially on skirt42, and are separated from each other by an internal bead54on skirt42. The axial dimensions of channels51,52on outer skirt42and bead38on inner skirt32are such that external bead38may be received by snap-fit selectively within either channel51or channel52.

In a child-resistant mode of operation of closure12illustrated inFIGS. 1 and 2, external bead38on skirt32of inner shell26is received by snap-fit within upper internal channel51on skirt42of outer shell28. The lower edge of outer shell28thus extends downwardly from inner shell26so as to position shell lug44for engagement with locking lug46on container release element22. In order to remove the closure from the container finish, release element22must be deflected downwardly so that locking lug44on skirt42can clear locking lug46on release element22. Outer shell28then may be rotated in the counterclockwise unthreading direction, and such rotation is imparted to inner shell26by means of the engaged teeth40on bead38of inner shell26and teeth48in channel51of outer shell28. When the closure is thereafter threaded onto the finish, lug44cams lug46downwardly and snaps over lug46, as described in the above-noted patents.

To adapt closure12for non-child-resistant operation (FIG. 3), inner shell26and outer shell28are moved with respect to each other so that external bead38on inner shell moves out of internal channel51on outer channel28, over bead54, and into channel52adjacent to the lower edge of outer shell28. With bead28received by snap-fit within channel52, teeth40on bead38are engaged with teeth50within channel52and locking lug44on outer shell28is held clear of container release element22. Thus, closure12can be threaded directly onto and off of container finish14in a non-child-resistant mode of operation. The closure can be returned to the child-resistant configuration by snapping bead38over bead54and back into channel51.

There thus have been disclosed a closure, a package and a method of making a closure and package that fully satisfy all of the objects and aims previously set forth. The invention has been disclosed in conjunction with a presently preferred embodiment thereof, and a number of modifications and variations have been discussed. Other modifications and variations readily will suggest themselves to persons of ordinary skill in the art in view of the foregoing description. For example, the internal teeth48,50on outer shell28could be provided on internal beads, and external teeth40on inner shell26could be provided in a corresponding channel on the outer surface of the inner shell. Indeed, the positions of the beads and channels could be reversed, which is to say that spaced beads or channels could be provided on inner shell26while a single internal bead or channel could be provided on outer shell28. The invention is intended to embrace all such modifications and variations as fall within the spirit and broad scope of the appended claims.