Child-resistant cap and container assembly

Abstract

A child-resistant container assembly for selectively storing materials is provided. The child-resistant container assembly includes a cap and a container. The cap has a top wall and a sidewall. First and second levers are positioned in respective gaps in the sidewall and are pivotably connected thereto via hinges. The container includes a neck positioned at an upper end thereof, having a radially outwardly extending, circumferentially tapering locking rib. The locking rib defines at least one locking edge, at a largest diameter of the locking rib, and at least one base edge, at a smallest diameter of the locking rib. To remove the cap from the container, the first and second levers are manually pivoted to clear the at least one locking edge, in order to permit sufficient rotation of the cap relative to the container to remove the cap from the container.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61 / 990,418, filed on May 8, 2014, entitled “Child-Resistant Cap and Container Assembly,” the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference herein.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]The preferred invention relates generally to container assemblies and, more specifically, to a combination container and a removable, single wall child-resistant cap that remains generally easy to open by elderly users.[0003]Container assemblies for pharmaceutical or nutritional products as well as other components are known. Container assemblies typically include a cap for containing a pharmaceutical or nutritional product within a bottle or other container. The cap may be “child-resistant,” which can mean that the cap is relatively difficult for children to remove from the container and / or the cap has passed performance tests with respect to a degree or level of difficulty for ...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0007]In another preferred embodiment, the present invention is directed to a container assembly comprising a container having a cylindrical body, an upper end and a lower end, a shoulder and a neck positioned at the upper end. The neck has external threads formed on an external surface thereof for mating with internal threads of the cap. A circumferentially tapering locking rib extends radially outwardly from the external surface of the neck between the external threads and the shoulder, and defines at least one locking edge at a largest diameter of the locking rib, and at least one base edge, at a smallest diameter of the locking rib. The at least one locking edge of the locking rib impacts at least one of the first and second levers in a locked position of the cap, thereby resisting sufficient rotation of the cap relative to the container to remove the cap from the container. The first and second levers are manually pivotable about the first and second hinges or torsional stress members, respectively, such that the first and second proximal ends pivot radially inwardly toward one another and the first and second distal ends pivot radially outwardly away from one another, thereby clearing the at least one locking edge and permitting sufficient rotation of the cap relative to the container to remove the cap from the container.

Problems solved by technology

The cap may be “child-resistant,” which can mean that the cap is relatively difficult for children to remove from the container and / or the cap has passed performance tests with respect to a degree or level of difficulty for children and seniors in removing the cap from the container.

The inner wall and outer wall of such existing caps essentially create a cap within a cap that is difficult to manufacture and relatively expensive.

The lugs extend upwardly from a shelf on the bottle, thereby forming a generally U-shape with the neck of the bottle that is also difficult to manufacture.

Such lugs located where the neck meets the body can be difficult to manufacture, particularly if using a blow molding process.

Such double-wall closures and corresponding bottles are expensive to manufacture, difficult to manufacture, often result in out of tolerance goods that must be rejected and difficult to use.

Images