Patent Publication Number: US-4585151-A

Title: Child resistant dispenser

Description:
This invention relates to a safety or child resistant closure and more particularly to a two piece safety dispensing closure. 
     There are a wide variety of so-called child resistant or safety closures which require simultaneous or sequential motions to move from a closed to an open position, the combination of motions making it relatively difficult for children to open. Many attempts have produced closures which are difficult for adults to open due to the force required. It is therefore a general object of this invention to provide a safety closure which requires simultaneous or concurrent motions but not excessive force to open the closure. 
     Another object of this invention is to provide a safety closure in which the dispensing orifice is sealed when the container is in a closed, locked condition. 
     Still another object of this invention is to provide a safety closure in which a cover is rotatably secured to a cap, and the degree of rotation is limited in both the opening and closing direction. 
     The objects of the invention are accomplished by a two piece safety dispensing closure in which the first piece is a cylindrical cap having threads or a flange arrangement for snap-on attachment to a container. The cap has an orifice through which the contents of the container are dispensed. A cover is fixed to the cap for rotation between an open condition in which the orifice is exposed for dispensing and a closed condition in which the orifice is sealed and the cover is locked so that it cannot be opened by rotation in either direction. Sealing is obtained by providing a ball seat surrounding the orifice on the cap which coacts with a ball surface on a rotatable cover. To further assure a good seal, an interference fit is used between the ball and seat members. The cover contains a rocker arm which is preferably integrally connected to the rest of the cover by a molded torsion hinge which keeps the rocker arm in its closed condition. Locking lugs are connected to the rocker arm and to the cap, and these lugs are engaged when the closure is closed and the dispensing orifice sealed. In order to rotate the cap in an opening direction, the rocker arm must be depressed, disengaging the locking lugs, during the initial opening rotation of the cover. Rotation of the cover is limited in an opening direction. When the cover is rotated in a closing direction, the rocker arm drops back to its normal position locking the cover against rotation in either direction while the dispensing orifice is sealed. The cover may be provided with a dispensing spout and in one embodiment the cover has a spout cover providing the seal in the locked, closed condition. 
    
    
     The preferred embodiments of the invention are illustrated in the drawing in which: 
     FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of the closure embodying the invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of the closure taken along line 2--2 of FIG. 1 showing some of the details of the sealing and locking projection; 
     FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 2 but showing the cover and rocker arm as they interact with the cap when the closure is in the closed position; 
     FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 3 showing a portion of the closure in the open-dispensing position after the rocker arm has been actuated and the cover rotated; 
     FIG. 5 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view showing on an enlarged scale the sealing of parts shown in FIG. 4; 
     FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view similar to FIG. 1 of another embodiment of the invention; 
     FIG. 7 is a top view of the closure showing the cover with its rocker arm, the spout cover and the circumferential slot in which the dispensing spout moves from a closed to an open dispensing position; 
     FIG. 8 is a plan top view of the closure cap with cover removed showing the dispensing spout and the location of the locking lug; 
     FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 6 with the cover rotated to its closed position with the spout cover in place and the rocker arm in its locked position; 
     FIG. 10 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of the dispensing nozzle and cover shown in its closed and sealed position of FIG. 9; 
     FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the closure similar to FIG. 9 showing it in its open, dispensing position with the rocker arm pivoted to its nonlocked position; 
     FIG. 12 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 10 but showing the dispensing nozzle and its cover in the open, dispensing position of FIG. 11; 
     FIG. 13 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of the cooperating part of the locking mechanism shown in its locked position; 
     FIG. 14 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 13 showing the locking mechanism in its open position as it would be in FIG. 11. 
    
    
     Referring to FIGS. 1 through 5, a safety or child-resistant closure package embodying the invention is designated generally at 10. Closure 10 is a two piece dispensing type closure which is adapted to be applied to a standard container with a conventional fastening means, the closure 10 including a cap 12 having a cylindrical body portion 14 the interior of which contains screw threads or other conventional fastening means such as snap-on flanges and a recessed top 16. A disc-shaped cover 18 having a rocker arm 20 is adapted to snap onto cap 14 as shown by downwardly directed arrows 22 in FIG. 1. Cap 12 has an inwardly extending lip 24 at the top of cylindrical wall 14 which conveniently may take the form of four equally spaced flanges 26 which may typically subtend an arc of 20 to 45 degrees. Extending upwardly from recessed top 16 are pedestals 28 which are located in the center of the spaces between flanges attached to the inside of cylindrical wall 14 and terminating with a flat surface below the bottom of flanges 26 by a distance approximating the thickness of cover 18. Cover 18 thus can be snapped onto cap 12 in a direction of downwardly pointed arrows 22 to be supported on pedestals 28 and retained by flanges 26 for rotation relative to cap 12. Cap 12 is formed with an upwardly extending projection 30 having a two level recess 32 as shown in FIG. 2 which contains dispensing orifice 34 which is in open communication with the container (not shown) to which closure 10 is applied. As shown in FIG. 1, projection 30 has generally circumferentially extending inner and outer walls as does recess 32. Projection 30 is adjacent the inside of cylindrical wall 14 being spaced apart sufficiently to accommodate pedestal 28. Cover 18 has depending protuberance 36 (see FIGS. 3-5) containing a dispensing opening 38. Cover 18 also has a depending plug 40 extending from the rocker arm portion 20. Protuberance 36 and plug 40 are circumferentially aligned with recess 32 and dispensing orifice 34 so that the cover may be rotated to a first closed position where plug 40 seals dispensing orifice 34 and to a second dispensing position where protruberance 36 overlies dispensing orifice 34 (see FIG. 5) putting dispensing opening 38 in sealed fluid communication with dispensing orifice 34. As can be seen in FIG. 2, the two level recess 32 in projection 30 consists of a shallower cavity 42 having an end wall 44 at one end and the other end extending into deeper cavity 46 with end wall 48 adjacent the shallower cavity and end wall 50 at its other end. Dispensing orifice 34 extends through cover 18 into deeper cavity 46 adjacent end wall 48. With cover 18 snapped into place on cap 12 and cover 18 rotated to its first closed position, plug 40 and protuberance 36 will extend into deeper cavity 46 with plug 40 sealing dispensing orifice 34 and preventing rotation in a counterclockwise direction as it abuts against end wall 48, see FIG. 3. Protuberance 36 abuts against end wall 50, preventing rotation in a clockwise direction. Rocker arm 20 is pivotably connected to cover 18 at molded torsion hinges 52 so that as end 54 of rocker arm 20 is depressed, plug 40 will be lifted from its sealing position with orifice 34 permitting counterclockwise rotation of cover 18 allowing the plug 40 to move in shallower cavity 42 until it abuts against end wall 44, preventing any further rotation of the cover in this counterclockwise opening direction. Protuberance 36 has remained in deeper cavity 46 and now is in a position adjacent end wall 48 with dispensing opening 38 being aligned in sealing relationship to dispensing orifice 34. While I prefer to limit the counterclockwise rotation of the cover in the opening direction by the abutment of plug 40 with end wall 44, this limit could have been established by the abutment of protuberance 36 against end wall 48. Closure 10 may be returned to its first closed position by rotation of cover 18 in a clockwise direction until plug 40 drops into deeper recess 46 as the rocker arm 20 returns to its initial flat planar position with plug 40 and protuberance 36 locking cover 18 against rotation in either direction and plug 40 sealing the dispensing orifice 34. In order to assure proper sealing of dispensing orifice 34 with plug 40 in its closed position and with protuberance 36 in its open dispensing position, a ball seat recess 54 is formed around orifice 34 in deeper cavity 46 to cooperate with ball seal 56 on the end of plug 40 and ball seal 58 formed on the end of protuberance 36. To further assure good sealing, a slight step 60 is formed adjacent ball seat recess 54 to create an interference fit between ball seal 56 on plug 40 when the cover 18 is in its first closed position and with ball seal 58 on protuberance 36 when the cover is in its second open dispensing position--see FIG. 5. Optionally, cover 18 may be provided with a nozzle or spout 62 having an opening 64 in line with dispensing opening 38 in protuberance 36. 
     Referring to FIGS. 6 through 14, another embodiment of the two piece safety or child-resistant dispensing closure 10&#39; is shown having a generally cup-shaped cap 12&#39; with cylindrical wall 14&#39; provided internally with means such as threads or flanges to screw on or snap onto a container (not shown). Cap 12&#39; has a recessed top 16&#39; with a dispensing spout 64 extending vertically upward therefrom. Circumfential groove 66 is cut or formed in the side of cylindrical wall 14&#39; near its top to form outwardly extending circumferential flange 68. Cover 70 is formed with a depending or downwardly extending skirt 72 having an inwardly directed circumferential flange 74 at its end defining a channel 76 to accept cap flange 68 when the cover is snapped onto the cap in the direction shown by arrows 78 in FIG. 6. Cover 70 has a circumferential slot 80 formed in its top to accept spout 64 therethrough. Upwardly extending spout cover 82 is connected to cap 70 so that it overlies one end of slot 80. Cover 82 has a vertically extending opening 84 in line with circumferential slot 80 to receive spout 64 as the cover is rotated to its first closed position wherein the spout cover 82 overlies spout 64. Referring to FIGS. 10 and 12, spout 64 contains a dispensing orifice 86 along with a surrounding ball seat recess 88 which cooperates with ball seal 90 formed on the inside top of spout cover 82 to fully seal orifice 86 when the cover is in its closed position. Additionally, an interference fit is supplied between the ball 90 and seat 88 to assure a complete seal. A vertically extending rocker arm guard 92 is formed on the top of cover 70 with an upwardly slanted surface 94 to receive rocker arm 96 having an upwardly angled surface 98 corresponding to the slant 94 of rocker arm guard 92. Rocker arm 96 is pivotably connected to guard 92 by molded torsion hinges 100. Attached to the underside of the flat portion 102 of rocker arm 96 is a locking lug 104 (see FIG. 7) which cooperates with locking lug 106 formed on recessed top 16&#39; of cap 12&#39; to lock cover 70 against rotation when cover 70 is in its first closed position with spout cover 82 overlying spout 64 sealing the dispensing orifice. In order to rotate cover 70 to expose the spout 64 for dispensing, rocker arm 96 is depressed on its inclined surface 98 to disengage locking lugs 104 and 106. Cover 70 can then be rotated in a counterclockwise direction allowing spout 64 to move in circumferential slot 80 to its second dispensing position. Rotation of the cover is limited in its counterclockwise opening direction by engagement of spout 64 with slot end wall 108. When it is desired to close the container, cover 70 is rotated in a clockwise direction until the rocker arm drops or snaps back to its original position by the action of torsion hinges 100, and rocker arm locking lug 104 engages cap locking lug 106 to lock the cover against rotation in either direction. In the closed position, spout 64 could engage the end wall of circumferential slot 80 to alternatively limit clockwise rotation. Spout 64 could also engage the side wall of spout cover 82 to similarly limit closing rotation. The engagement of ball seal 90 with ball seat 88 completely seals dispensing orifice 86 in this second closed position. Lugs 104 and 106 have cooperating loading ramps 105 and 107 respectively on which they slide relative to one another during the closing clockwise rotation of cover 70.