Source: http://www.patentgenius.com/patent/7845505.html
Timestamp: 2018-10-18 05:27:42
Document Index: 1153429

Matched Legal Cases: ['art.\n8', 'art.\n11', 'art3', 'art 3', 'art 3', 'art 3', 'art 15', 'art 15', 'art 12', 'art 12', 'art 12', 'art 12', 'art 12', 'art 12', 'arts 12', 'art 12', 'art 12', 'art 12', 'art 12', 'arts 12', 'art 12', 'art 12', 'art 12', 'art 12', 'art 12', 'art 12', 'art 14', 'art 12', 'art 14', 'art 14', 'art 15', 'art 14', 'art 14', 'art 12', 'arts 12', 'art 12', 'art 12', 'art 15', 'art 13', 'art 12', 'art 12', 'art 12', 'art 12', 'art 12', 'art 14', 'art 12', 'art 12', 'art 12']

Container cap - Patent # 7845505 - PatentGenius
7845505 Container cap
Application: 10/559,004
Inventors: Hamamoto; Keiji (Osaka-fu, JP)
Yoshimura; Seiji (Ibaraki, JP)
Tamaoki; Shitomi (Tokyo-to, JP)
U.S. Class: 215/277; 215/249; 215/274; 215/275; 215/280; 215/355; 220/319; 220/324; 220/784; 220/786
Field Of Search: 215/274; 215/275; 215/277; 215/280; 215/355; 215/324; 215/784; 215/786; 220/319; 220/324; 220/784; 220/786
Foreign Patent Documents: 59-221249; 2000-85824; 2001-171717
1. A container cap which is put on a mouth of a container to top a plug member fitted into the mouth, the cap comprises: a locking member which has a top plate with arim and a plurality of locking pieces located around the rim; and a holder member which is mounted surrounding an outer periphery of the locking pieces, wherein each locking piece is extended downward from the rim and has a longitudinal extent; whereineach locking piece comprises an upper side part with an outer periphery and a lower side part with an outer periphery connected to the upper side part by a thin-walled bendable part located midway through the piece in a longitudinal direction thereofthat functions as a hinge; wherein the upper side part is locked to said plug member to directly engage the plug member from below in a state where the holder member is mounted on the outer periphery of the upper side part thereof; wherein said lowerside part is locked to a part of said mouth from below in a state where the holder member is mounted on the outer periphery of the lower side part thereof; wherein said holder member is movable upwards and downwards relative to the locking member; wherein at least one of said holder member and said locking member has a locking projected part which blocks upward movement of the lower edge of the holder member relative to the upper side part of the locking piece as the holder member is movedupwardly from the state wherein the holder member is mounted on the outer periphery of the lower side part, wherein each of the holder member and the locking piece has a locking projected part, the locking projected part of the holder member being formedon an inner periphery of a lower edge of the holder, the locking projected part of the locking piece being formed on the outer periphery of the upper side part; and a connecting part which connects an upper edge of the locking member and a lower edge ofthe holder and is severable by pushing down the holder member relative to the locking member, whereby with the container cap on the mouth of a container, the holder member can be pushed downwardly relative to the locking member to sever the lower edge ofthe holder member and allow the holder member to surround the locking pieces so that the upper and lower side parts are thereby maintained respectively against a part of the mouth and the plug from below each of the part of the mouth and the plug tosecure the container cap to the container, whereupon upward movement of the holder member causes the locking projecting parts on the holder member and locking pieces to interact so that as the holder member is moved upwardly the locking pieces arerepositioned initially causing the lower side parts to bend outwardly at the hinges to separate from below the part of the mouth and thereafter causing the upper side parts to bear against the plug and cause the upper side parts to draw the plug from themouth as the holder member is moved further upwardly.
2. A container cap as set forth in claim 1, wherein an external diameter of the lower side part of one of the locking pieces is larger than an external diameter of the upper side part of the one locking piece in a state where the holder memberis mounted on an outer periphery of the one locking piece.
3. The container cap according to claim 1 wherein the thin-walled bendable part is locally thinner than the upper and lower side parts so that the lower side part bends relative to the upper side part at the bendable part that functions as ahinge.
5. The container cap according to claim 4 wherein the container mouth has an upper edge surface and the plug member comprises a flange that contacts the upper edge surface and an airtight portion that depends from the flange and extends intothe container mouth with the plug member fitted into the mouth.
7. A container cap which is put on a mouth of a container to top a plug member fitted into the mouth, the cap comprises: a locking member which has a top plate with a rim and a plurality of locking pieces located around the rim; and a holdermember which is mounted surrounding an outer periphery of the locking pieces, wherein each locking piece is extended downward from the rim and has a longitudinal extent; wherein each locking piece comprises an upper side part with an outer periphery anda lower side part with an outer periphery connected to the upper side part by a thin-walled bendable part located midway through the piece in a longitudinal direction thereof that functions as a hinge; wherein the upper side part is locked to said plugmember to engage the plug member from below in a state where the holder member is mounted on the outer periphery of the upper side part thereof; wherein said lower side part is locked to a part of said mouth from below in a state where the holder memberis mounted on the outer periphery of the lower side part thereof; wherein said holder member is movable upwards and downwards relative to the locking member; and wherein at least one of said holder member and said locking member has a locking projectedpart which blocks upward movement of the lower edge of the holder member relative to the upper side part of the locking piece as the holder member is moved upwardly from the state wherein the holder member is mounted on the outer periphery of the lowerside part.
8. A container cap as set forth in claim 7, wherein each of the holder member and the locking piece has a locking projected part, the locking projected part of the holder member being formed on an inner periphery of a lower edge of the holder,the locking projected part of the locking piece being formed on the outer periphery of the upper side part, and the cap further comprising a connecting part which connects an upper edge of the locking member and a lower edge of the holder and isseverable by pushing down the holder member relative to the locking member, and the holder member, the locking member, and the connecting part being integrally molded.
9. A container cap as set forth in claim 7, wherein each of the holder member and the locking piece has the locking projected part, the locking projected part of the holder member being formed on a lower edge of the holder member, the lockingprojected part of the locking piece being formed on the outer periphery of the upper side part.
11. The container cap according to claim 7 wherein the holder member and locking member are configured so that as the holder member is moved upwardly from the state wherein the holder member is mounted on the outer periphery of the lower sidepart the holder member causes the locking member to draw the plug member from the mouth.
12. The container cap according to claim 7 wherein with the locking projected parts are engaged, the locking projected part on the holder acts against the locking projected part on the locking member to thereby cause the locking member tofollow upward movement of the holder member.
14. The container cap according to claim 13 wherein the holder member and locking member are configured so that as the holder member is moved upwardly from the state wherein the holder member is mounted on the outer periphery of the lower sidepart the holder member causes the locking member to draw the plug member from the mouth.
15. The container cap according to claim 7 wherein the holder member and locking member are configured so that as the holder member is moved upwardly relative to the locking member, the locking projected parts engage so that the locking memberfollows further upward movement of the holder member.
16. The container cap according to claim 15 wherein the locking projected part on the holder member is at a lower edge of the holder member and the locking projected parts engage with the lower edge of the holder member above the lower sidepart so that the lower side part can separate from the mouth.
Conventional containers such as vials, which hold drugs, are sealed pathways to mouths with sufficiently sterilized rubber plugs in order to store and carry the drugs in hygienic conditions. They are provided with lock means to the rubber plugsaround the mouths so as to prevent these rubber plugs from loosening up and the conditioner from deterioration caused by air inflow through a gap between the rubber plugs and the mouths.
As with the lock means described above, the applicant of the present invention has disclosed the cap which comprises a close-fastening ring detachably formed on an upper portion of a crown-like member surrounding a rubber plug in thecorresponding document 1. It is used in such a manner that the close-fastening ring is cut off from the crown-like member and put on the outer periphery of the member by pressing the ring towards the mouth.
For containers of drug in particular, there are many cases in which the adhesion between the mouth portion of the container and the rubber cap is set up at a high degree. For this reason, it is difficult to detach the rubber plug, while it iseasy to detach the aforementioned conventional cap (lock means); and this has caused inconveniences in carrying out the medical activities.
A container cap, according to the present invention, is put on a mouth of a container to top a plug member fitted into the mouth. The cap comprises a locking member which has a top plate with a rim and a plurality of locking pieces locatedaround the rim, and a holder member which is mounted surrounding the outer periphery of the locking pieces, wherein each locking piece is extending downward from the rim, wherein each locking piece comprises an upper side part and a lower side partconnected by a thin-walled bendable part located midway through the piece in the longitudinal direction thereof, wherein the upper side part is locked to said plug member from below in a state where the holder member is mounted on the outer periphery ofthe upper side part thereof, wherein said lower side part is locked to said mouth from below in a state where the holder member mounted on the outer periphery of the lower side part thereof, wherein said holder member is movable upwards and downwardsrelative to the locking member, and wherein said holder member and/or said locking member has a locking projected part which prevents the lower edge of the holder member from moving higher relative to the upper side part of the locking piece.
According to the cap of the present invention, by pushing down the holder member so that the holder member holds the plurality of locking pieces altogether, during attaching the cap to the mouth (capping), the lower side part of the locking pieceis engaged with the mouth from below and the plug is locked without fail. On the other hand, during the operation of opening the plug, by pulling the holder member upwards, the holder member moves upwards, disengages from the lower side part, andengages with the locking projected part so that the locking member is pulled out upwards with the holder member. The lower edge of the holder member holds the outer periphery of the upper side part so that the upper side part is engaged with the plugmember from below; and this enables pulling out the holder member, the locking member, and the plug upwards altogether. According to the present invention, it is possible to detach the holder member, the locking member, and the plug altogether by only asingle operation such as pulling out the holder member.
Additionally, said locking projected part is preferably formed at the lower edge of the holder member and the outer periphery of the upper side part of the locking piece of the locking member. According to this, it is possible to disengage theholder member from the lower side part of the locking piece completely and to lock the locking pieces together with holding the upper side part firmly by the holder member. To achieve the more secure engaging of the lower side part to the mouth, theouter periphery of the lower side part is preferably larger than the outer periphery of the upper side part so that the lower side part is firmly tightened up inward.
In the cap of the said present invention, each of the holder member and the locking piece may have the locking projected part, the locking projected part of the holder member being formed on the inner periphery of the lower edge of the holder,the locking projected part of the locking piece being formed on the outer periphery of the upper side part, and the cap further comprising a connecting part which connects the upper edge of the holder and the lower edge of the holder and may be severableby pushing down the holder member relative to the locking member, and the holder member, the locking member, and the connecting part being integrally molded. According to this, the connecting part is formed at the locking projected part of the innerperiphery of the lower edge of the holder member, and the projected part and concave part are only at the lower edge of the holder; so that it is possible to avoid the useless scratching caused by a vestige of the connecting part severed during pushingand pulling the holder member.
The vial 1 is a transparent glass container. The mouth 2 has a cylindrical shape, and a flange 2a projects from the outer periphery of the mouth 2. Between the upper edge surface of the mouth 2 and the flange 2a, there is a gap 4 extendingtoward upwards and downwards.
The rubber plug 3 comprises an airtight portion 3a put in the mouth 2 and a flange 3b, from which the airtight portion 3a depends and which makes contact with the upper edge surface of the mouth 2, as a single piece. The airtight portion 3aextends a significant distance into the mouth. The external diameter of the flange 3b is larger than the one of the upper edge surface of the mouth 2; and it is made to be almost the same scale as the one of the flange 2a of the mouth 2. A concave part3c, which extends upward from the bottom of the airtight portion 3a, is formed at the side of the airtight portion 3a. In the half-plugged state where the upper edge of the concave part 3c is located above the upper edge of the mouth 2, there is anair-flow pathway through the convert part 3c between the rubber plug 3 and the mouth 2. In the completely plugged state where the flange 3b is connected to the upper edge surface of the mouth 2; the upper edge of the concave part 3c is located nearer tothe inside of the container (i.e. underside) than the upper edge of the mouth 2, so as to seal the mouth 2 airtight.
The cap 10 mainly comprises a locking member 13, which has a disco-tic top plate 11 contacting to the rubber plug 3 and a plurality of locking pieces 12 crown-like located around the disco-tic top plate 11; and a holder member 14, which ismounted surrounding the outer periphery of the locking pieces 12. The locking member 13 and the holder member 14 are, as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, manufactured by means of integral molding. Whilst putting on the cap, after the vial 1 gets filled, therubber plug 3 and the holder member 14 are separated from each other by pushing the holder member 14 to cut a rib-shaped connecting part 15 which connects them. The connecting part 15 could be located on a few points (e.g. four points) on acircumference of the holder member 14. The cap 10 is preferably molded from incineratable and discardable plastic.
In the embodiment shown in the figures, eight locking pieces 12 locate equally spaced circumferentially to surround the mouth 2; and a plurality of slits are formed respectively between two locking pieces 12 next to one another. Each lockingpiece 12 has a vertically elongated shape, extending downward from the rim of the plate 11, and its lower part is radially elastic deformable. Before the deformation, as shown in FIG. 1, its lower side is formed to be larger, circumferentially outward,than its upper side. Additionally, each locking piece 12 is formed in a shape where an upper side part 12U and a lower side part 12D is connected through a discrete thin-walled bendable part 12a located in the middle of the piece in the longitudinaldirection; it is possible to expand the lower side part 12D without expanding the upper side part 12U. The bendable part 12a is locally thinner than the upper and lower side parts 12U, 12D, respectively. In the embodiment shown in the figures, each ofthe upper side part 12U and the lower side part 12D has substantially rigidity; and making the thin-walled bendable part between the upper side and the lower side of the locking piece 12 enables its lower side part 12D to be movable radially relative tothe upper side part 12U by bending at the locally thinned location between the parts 12D, 12U that functions as a hinge so that the locking piece 12 is to be deformable.
A projected part 12b capable of engaging with the flange 4b from below as a result of going into the gap between the flange 3b of the mouth 2 and the flange 2a of the mouth 2 from outside in a direction of the radius, is provided in the innerperipheral side of the upper side part 12U of the locking piece 12. On the other hand, in the inner peripheral side of the lower side part 12D of the locking piece 12, there is an engaging projected part 12c capable of engaging with the flange 2a frombelow. A stretching part 12d is provided at the lower edge of the locking piece 12 and projects toward outside in the direction of the radius. Additionally, A locking projected part 12e, which is engaged with an inward locking projected part 14a of theholder member 14 hereinafter described, is provided in the outer periphery of the upper side part 12U of the locking piece 12.
The holder member 14 comprises a cylinder, which has a bore diameter somewhat larger than the external diameter of the top plate 11; and it is movable upwards and downwards relative to the locking member 13, so that it is attached outside to aplurality of locking pieces. A flange 14b protruding outwardly in the direction of the radius is provided at the upper edge of the holder member 14. The inward locking projected part 14a protruding inwardly in the direction of the radius is provided atthe lower edge of the holder member 14. The bore diameter of this locking projected part 14a is designed to be almost the same size as the external diameter of the top plate 11. The length of the axis of the holder member 14 is almost the same as thelength of the axis of the locking member 13. Aforementioned connecting part 15 is connected to the inner edge of the locking projected part 14a.
The locking projected part 14a of said holder member 14 and the locking projected part 12e of the locking member 13 are built to be a hooked shape, so that they can slip when the holder member 14 is pushed and they can lock each other when theholder member 14 is pulled out. Therefore, when the holder member 14 is pulled out, the locking projected parts 12e and 14a lock each other. This prevents the lower edge of the holder member 14 from moving higher relative to the upper side part 12U;and the locking member 13 is pulled out together with the holder member 14, which holds the upper side part 12U in position and shrunken.
To attach the cap 10 of the aforementioned embodiment, put the locking member 13 of the cap 10, which is integrally molded with the holder member 14, on the mouth of the vial 2 and push down the holder member 14, as shown in FIG. 1; so that theconnecting part 15 is severed, the holder member 14 moves to the lower position of the locking part 13, and the holder member 14 is in a state where the holder member 14 is attached around the outer periphery of the plurality of locking pieces 12, asshown in FIG. 3. In this state, the plurality of locking pieces 12 are squeezed and shrunk; the locking projected part 12b of the upper side part 12U is locked to the flange 3b of the rubber plug 3 from below, as well as the locking projected part 12cof the lower side part 12D is locked to the flange 2a of the vial mouth 2 from below; so that the rubber plug 3 is locked by the locking member 13 without fail.
In order to open the plug, pull the holder member 14 upward; as shown in the FIG. 4, the holder member 14 moves upward and disengages from the lower side part 12D, and the locking projected part 14a is locked to the locking projected part 12e ofthe outer peripheral of the upper side part 12U of the locking piece 12 from below. Further pull the holder member 14, in the state the upper side part 12U stays shrunk, i.e. the holder 14 keeps holding the rubber 3, the rubber plug 3 is pulled outupward with the holder member 14, as shown in the FIG. 5 and 6. In this manner, only pulling out the holder member 14 whose gripping area is large enables the user to pull out the rubber plug 3 easily from the mouth 2; so that there is no need tounclench the rubber plug 3 after detaching the cap 10 of this embodiment. Therefore, when opening the plug in need, it is possible to do so with swiftness and ease while locking the rubber plug 3 without fail.
The present invention is not limited to the arrangement described in the embodiment, but may be arbitrarily modified. For example, a screw may be attached to the outer peripheral side of the locking piece and the inner peripheral side of theholder member. In this case, the screw may form the said locking projected part.
According to the present invention, it is possible to open both the cap and the plug with swiftness and ease from the mouth by pulling out the holder member when opening the cap, while the plug is locked firmly to the mouth by the locking memberwhen attaching the cap to the container.
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