Safety enclosure for glass bottles containing hazardous materials

A solvent and shatter resistant protector for glass bottles containing hazardous materials. The protector is comprised of opaque or transparent polymeric material and conforms substantially to the shape of the container to be protected. The container protector is made up of top and bottom portions each having respective cooperating means, such as a special threading arrangement, for separable engagement, which enables engagement to be maintained even in the event of experienced shocks sufficient to damage the protected glass container. The top portion has an aperture for providing access to the contents of the contents of the protected container without disengagement from the bottom portion.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
This invention relates to a shatter resistant safety enclosure for glass 
bottles and jugs which typically contain hazardous materials such as 
toxic, caustic or flammable liquids. 
Recent years have seen a considerable increase in the use of flammable or 
hazardous solvents in the laboratory. The growth of analytical techniques 
such as gas chromatography and liquid chromatography demand the use of 
these hazardous materials for sample preparation and subsequent 
manipulation. Since large volumes are commonly necessary, the standard 
container has become the one-gallon glass bottle. Although the glass 
container is essential to preserve the integrity of the contents, the 
fragility and potential hazard from accidental breakage is of great 
concern to most users. Breakage of a gallon container of hazardous 
material can lead to exposure of workers to toxic or caustic fumes or 
liquids as well as create a substantial possibility of fire in the case of 
a flammable material. 
One means currently in use for the protection of laboratory reagent bottles 
requires an integral coating of the bottle with polyvinyl chloride applied 
by a dipping process. The procedure leads to a solvent soluble coating 
which can subsequently lead to contamination of the contents and 
destruction of the coating by dribbling of the contents during use. 
Another integral coating process in current use features a solvent 
resistant material that must be applied to a heated bottle. This 
eliminates the advantage of applying the protection after filling the 
container and again can lead to internal contamination of the bottle 
itself during the coating process. The hot bottle process is also 
inapplicable to some types of bottles, for example, those that cannot 
stand the shock of the rapid heating and cooling demanded by the process. 
A third type of protective device currently in use is a heavy, pre-molded 
plastic pail type container with a snap down lid. The shape and 
configuration of this device are such that it is heavy and ungainly, has a 
non-integral handle and requires considerably more space in storage than 
the bottle guard according to the invention described herein. It is also 
not designed for use during the shipment of hazardous materials. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
It is, therefore, a principal objective of this invention to provide a 
means by which these hazards and prior art drawbacks can be minimized and 
overcome, while preserving the integrity and purity of the glass bottle 
contents. 
According to the broader aspects of the invention there is provided a 
container protector comprising separable top and bottom portions each 
composed of solvent and shatter resistant polymeric material and 
conforming substantially to the shape of the container to be protected, 
said top and bottom portions having respective cooperating means for 
separably engaging said portions such that accidental separation is 
prevented even in the face of shocks sufficient to damage the container. 
Also according to the present invention there is provided a protective 
overcontainer for containers having potentially hazardous contents which 
is applicable to such containers even after filling, comprising separable 
top and bottom portions each composed of solvent and shatter resistant 
polymeric material and conforming substantially to the shape of the 
container to be protected, said top and bottom portions having respective 
cooperating means for separably engaging said portions such that 
accidental separation is prevented even in the face of shocks sufficient 
to damage the container to be protected, said top and bottom portions 
including respectively corrugated-like surface sections in the vicinity of 
the more breakage-susceptible portions of the protected container, and 
said top portion further including an aperture for providing access to the 
contents of the protected container without disengagement of the top and 
bottom portions. 
While other means are available for the protection of glass containers, the 
device herein described has many significant advantages not found in 
others. For example, the protective device which comprises this invention 
provides almost complete containment of bottle contents should the inside 
glass container be broken, thereby affording ample time for the safe 
disposal of those contents. 
More particularly, the device comprising this invention can be described as 
a plastic over-container, blow or injection molded, providing the 
following advantages and features: 
1. Solvent resistant. 
2. Shatter resistant. 
3. Disposable. 
4. Does not interfere with access to contents. 
5. Conforms to bottle shape and therefore takes up very little more space 
than the container to be protected. 
6. Provides extra protection during shipment. 
7. Can be applied after the bottle has been filled. 
8. Is assembled with a screw joint that is very strong and will not 
separate. 
9. Provides a molded-in handle. 
10. Light weight. 
11. Can be transparent or opaque, depending upon the specific utility. 
12. Inexpensive. 
With the device according to the invention, the entire glass bottle is 
protected. The top portion thereof is especially designed to protect the 
neck area of the bottle, and provides an opening to allow access to the 
glass container's contents without removal of this top portion and 
provides further an appropriate internal recessed area to accommodate the 
handle of the protected glass container. 
The top and bottom portions may, according to the invention, be made of 
strong, long-lasting polyethylene or polypropylene which are resistant to 
most industrial and laboratory solvents. Alternatively, in the event 
transparency of the safety enclosure is desired, the material utilized may 
be polyethylene terephthalate (PET) or a polycarbonate such as Lexan.RTM.. 
Particular advantages of a transparent enclosure are that the level of 
liquid contained in the protected glass container may be readily seen and 
so, of course, the container's label, thus obviating the need to remove 
the protected container in order to identify the protected substance or 
determine its amount and along with it any need to provide some external 
identification or indication of content. 
The top and bottom portions of the safety enclosure are provided with 
cooperating threaded arrangements to effect a screw coupling, which on the 
one hand enables ease of assembly (and disassembly) of the closure around 
the protected container, and especially after the latter has been filled, 
and on the other hand provides a strong securing means which will prevent 
separation even under the impact of shock or blows strong enough to break 
the glass container inside. In addition, this threaded joint provides a 
means by which workers can visibly tell whether or not the top portion is 
secured onto the bottom portion (or vice versa) sufficiently and 
correctly. The strength of the threaded joint derives at least in part 
from the corrugated type structure which rounded threading provides. A 
further advantage of the threaded arrangement is that it provides vertical 
adjustablility which would permit the protector to accommodate bottles and 
jugs of different heights, while maintaining the integrity and strength of 
the threaded joint.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT(S) 
As shown in the FIGURE, the device according to the invention is comprised 
of a top portion 1 and a bottom portion 20, typically made of the same 
material. The FIGURE depicts a generally opaque material such as 
polyethylene. The material may also be polypropylene, or polypropylene in 
combination with polyethylene. 
The top portion of the safety enclosure is provided at its lower part with 
a threaded arrangement 2 comprising a series of rounded-edged threads. The 
threads in cross-section actually form a downward angle of between 
30.degree. and 60.degree. with respect to the cross-sectional plane of the 
top portion. A preferred angle provides an approximate 45.degree. downward 
slant of the threads. The greater part of the remainder of the top 1 
comprises a section 3 of continuously shrinking diameter leading to the 
narrowed portion 4 which covers the neck and top portion of the protected 
container. Section 3 is provided with a series of longitudinally running 
ribs or corrugations 3a that extend from the threaded portion 2 to the 
neck portion 4 and near the upper most portion 5. The upper most part 5 is 
provided with a suitable opening 5a through which access to the contents 
of the container is maintained without having to disassemble the safety 
enclosure. Upper most section 5 may also be provided with threading (not 
particularly shown) thus enabling a cap to be secured onto top portion 1 
to cover the opening 5a. 
A handle 6 is also provided with top portion 1 which extends from the neck 
portion 4 to the lower most portion of section 3. In addition to providing 
means for conveniently carrying the safety enclosure, handle 6 is 
configured for strength and durability and provides an added measure of 
protection to the vulnerable neck area of the protected glass container. A 
similar function is provided by way of protrusion 7, which in actually 
constitutes an internal recessed area for housing the handle of the 
protected bottle. Thus, it can be appreciated that the top portion 1 is 
able to closely conform to the shape of the protected bottle and therefore 
requires very little additional space than that required for the protected 
container itself. This is true even in connection with the molded-in 
handle 6, the configuration of which can be readily limited to having the 
outer most projecting portion thereof (from the axial center of the safety 
enclosure) nevertheless remain inside the diameter of threaded portion 2. 
Looking to the bottom portion 20 of the safety enclosure, there is provided 
at the upper most part thereof a threaded section 21 which is designed and 
configured to cooperate with threaded section 2 of the top portion 1, and 
like threaded section 2 is comprised of rounded-edged threads which 
provide for ease of assembly and disassembly as well as a corrugated-like 
structure for greater strength and stability and added protection to the 
midsection of the glass bottle. The threads of section 21 are also 
provided with the downwardly angled configuration characteristic of the 
section 2 threads. Also like section 2, section 21 is provided with three 
starting threads equispaced apart about the circumference of the bottle 
guard. Of particular advantage is the fact that the angled threading 
positively biases the safety enclosure to have the top and bottom portions 
remain assembled. This positive bias effectively prevents separation other 
than by relative rotation of the top and bottom portions and virtually 
eliminates any practical possibility of the threads becoming sheared or 
stripped or otherwise weakened by accidental shock or force sustained by 
the bottle guard. The angled threading in effect affords a means of 
self-protection. Thus, when threaded sections 2 and 21 are assembled 
together, the threaded joint provided thereby is fully effective to 
prevent separation of the top 1 and bottom 20 portions, even in the face 
of blows or shocks strong enough to break the enclosed glass bottle. 
The major part of bottom portion 20 in terms of surface area is the 
cylindrical section 22 lying between threaded section 21 and a base 
arrangement 23. Section 22 is cyclindrical in shape inter alia for 
providing a convenient surface for a label, or for providing an 
undistorted viewing of the bottle's own label in the case of the safety 
enclosure being transparent. 
The base section 23 of bottom portion 20 is comprised of a broad, 
substantially flat, though slightly recessed bottom surface, and a series 
of elongated equispaced apart convexly-shaped side ribs or nodular 
protrusions 24 overlying a circumferentially running area 25 of reduced 
diameter proximate the bottom surface of bottom portion 20. The internal 
surface of the base section 23 may be seen through the break-away window 
in the figure provided for ease of illustration. This particular base 
design provides an extra measure of strength and durability in that most 
important bottom area of the protected container and also enables easier 
gripping e.g. with the hand for assembly/disassembly of the bottle guard 
top and bottom portions. 
Like the top portion 1, the bottom portion 20 is configured to closely 
conform to the shape of the protected container, which typically would be 
in the one-gallon glass bottle. Thus, little additional space is needed 
over that required for the protected container itself, and therefore there 
would be no need for change in carton size, an advantage to users having 
storage facilities designed for cartons currently in use. 
The entire safety enclosure lends itself to either blow or injection 
molding, and with such possible solvent and shatter resistant transparent 
materials as polyethylene terephthalate (PET) or polycarbonate. In 
considering the safety enclosure as an assembly, a principal advantage is 
that the enclosure may be applied after the protected bottle has been 
filled. 
Another way of fastening the top and bottom portions together is to provide 
same with suitable cooperating elements in the regular molding process 
which when engaged comprise a latching type locking factor for holding the 
two portions securely together.