Container closure with tunnel member

The present invention provides a closure for a container. The closure is provided with a tunnel member into which any appropriate implement such as the handle of a teaspoon can be inserted when it is desired to manipulate the closure e.g. for opening. The provision of the tunnel member is of great assistance to people lacking in manual dexterity.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
This invention relates to closures for containers and more particularly 
though not exclusively to closures which are tamper resistant and/or child 
resistant. 
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
In recent years closures have become very effective in the sense that they 
are often quite difficult for small children to remove. For example, one 
kind of child-resistant closure has to be turned to a special vertical 
alignment position relative to the container and then has to be flipped 
off against restraint imposed by engaging arcuate beads. Such closures 
have a very good safety factor in the sense that it is unlikely that a 
small child simply playing with a closed container will, by a fluke, 
remove the closure. On the other hand, it has become apparent that such 
closures are so difficult to remove that adults who suffer from arthritis 
in their hands or have some other condition that restricts their 
manipulative capacity have great difficulty in opening the container and, 
in fact, there are many cases in which adults suffering with their hands 
have found it quite impossible to manipulate these kind of closures. 
SUMMARY OF INVENTION 
It is therefore a general object of the invention to provide a container 
closure that can readily be manipulated by someone with a hand disability 
and more specifically it is an object of the invention to provide a 
child-resistant closure that is adapted so that someone with a hand 
disability can relatively easily manipulate it, while at the same time 
retaining the child-resistant capacity of the closure and permitting easy 
removal without assistance by adults not handicapped by any hand 
disability. 
According to the present invention we provide a closure with a tunnel into 
which an implement such as the handle of a tea spoon can be inserted when 
it is desired to manipulate the closure. 
In order that the invention may be more clearly understood, reference is 
now directed to the accompanying drawings given by way of example, in 
which:

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
Referring first to FIG. 1 a closure 1 has a top 2, a depending skirt 3, a 
tear away band 4 and an anchor band 5. The top 2 of the closure 1 is 
provided with a tunnel member 6 defined by side walls 7, a top wall 8, a 
bottom wall 9 and a rear wall 10, the tunnel member 6 being open at the 
front 11. Clearly if desired the rear wall 10 can be omitted from this 
embodiment. 
To remove the closure 1 from the container 12 it is necessary first to 
remove or tear away the tear band 4 which can be effected relatively 
easily by gripping a tear tab indicated at 13. This has to be done only 
once and, if a user cannot effect the tearing movement, assistance can be 
obtained to remove the tamper-resistant feature. This movement leaves the 
child-resistant feature intact and to remove the closure 1 from the 
container 12 it is still necessary to turn the closure 1 until the tunnel 
6 is in vertical alignment, with a mark or indicator 15 on container 12 
and then to push up on tunnel 6 opening 11 or a push tab 14. To assist a 
user with a hand disability to do this an appropriate instrument may be 
inserted into or through the tunnel member 6 for use in the manner of a 
tommy-bar, lever or handle. 
It will be understood that the precise shape and/or disposition of the 
tunnel member 6 is immaterial. In FIG. 1, for example, we show the tunnel 
member 6 standing proud of the top 2 of the closure 1 so that it can form 
a grip for unhandicapped people to use when turning the closure 1. 
However, the tunnel member may if desired be inserted flush into the 
closure 1 below top 2 with the open end 11 being provided in the skirt 3, 
or the opening 11 may be in the top 2 of the closure 1 with the tunnel 
member extending vertically or at an angle down into the inside of the 
closure. The underlying idea of the invention is therefore to provide a 
closure with a tunnel member into which an implement may be inserted to 
give a user a mechanical advantage in manipulating the closure. 
It should be emphasised that a special implement is not required; the 
handle of a tea spoon, the blade of a paper knife, a pair of scissors or a 
door key are good examples of the kind of implement that is readily to 
hand and may be used. 
In a slight modification, the tunnel member 6 may be dimensioned to overlap 
the outer edge of the top 2 so as to supplement or replace the push tab 
14. 
Further details of this type of closure, apart from the tunnel feature, may 
be obtained from UK patent application No. 8405427 and from European 
patent application No. 8235409. 
Passing on now to consider the second embodiment of FIGS. 2 and 3, details 
of the type of closure concerned may be obtained from UK Pat. No. 1583984 
and European patent application No. 81300309, the teachings of which are 
hereby incorporated by reference as if here set forth in full. In FIGS. 2 
and 3, parts the same as or similar to parts described above are indicated 
by the same reference number followed by "a". The closure 1a has an inner 
plug member 15 and a coaxially arranged outer sleeve member 16. The plug 
member 15 has a top 2a and when the complete closure 1a is in operative 
position the plug member 15 is seated in or over the mouth of an 
associated container so as to close the mouth and the skirt of the sleeve 
member embraces the outer surface of the container. 
In accordance with this invention the plug part 15 of the closure 1 is 
provided with a tunnel member 6a defined by side walls 7a, a top wall 8a, 
a bottom wall 9a and a rear wall 10a, the front being open at 11a to 
receive the implement. Once again the precise shape and disposition of the 
tunnel member is immaterial and if desired the tunnel member could stand 
proud of the top 2 as in FIG. 1 or could have the opening 11a in the top 2 
with the tunnel extending vertically or at an angle downwardly. 
The closure is preferably moulded from a suitable plastics material. 
We have therefore provided a container closure wherein the closure has an 
open tunnel member i.e. open at both ends or with a closed tunnel member 
in the form of a pocket i.e. closed at the inner or rear end so that a 
suitable implement ready to hand may be inserted into the tunnel member to 
facilitate manipulation of the closure by persons suffering from Arthritis 
or other restricted manipulative capacity without interference with its 
prime function of being a child-resistant closure which can be readily 
opened by adults without manipulative disability. 
While the invention has been described in detail above, it is to be 
understood that this detailed description is by way of example only, and 
the protection granted is to be limited only within the spirit of the 
invention and the scope of the following claims.