FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an airtight lid for a jar. More specifically, the present invention relates to an airtight lid for a jar that has a sealing gasket and a child resistant opening mechanism.
BACKGROUND
Storage jars for aromatic items are known in the art. Jars for medications and pills having a child resistant opening mechanism are also known in the art. However, what is needed is a jar having a lid that provides an airtight seal for the contents of the jar while also providing a child resistant opening mechanism. It would be advantageous for such a jar lid to be easily assembled from a minimum of parts, yet also durable and able to maintain an airtight seal over a long lifetime of use.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective external view of an exemplary embodiment of a jar having a child resistant airtight lid;
FIG. 2 is a perspective exploded view of the components of an exemplary child resistant airtight lid;
FIG. 3A is a perspective view of an outer cap component of an exemplary child resistant airtight lid;
FIG. 3B is a bottom plan view of the outer cap component of FIG. 3A illustrating some structure within;
FIG. 3C is a side elevational view of the outer cap component (shown with open side up) of FIG. 3A′
FIG. 3D is a side view of the outer cap component of FIG. 3A illustrating structure within as dashed lines;
FIG. 4A is a perspective view of an inner cap component of an exemplary child resistant airtight lid;
FIG. 4B is a bottom plan view of the inner cap component of FIG. 4A;
FIG. 4C is a side elevational view of the inner cap component of FIG. 4A;
FIG. 4D is a side view of the inner cap component of FIG. 4A illustrating structure within as dashed lines;
FIG. 5A is a perspective view of a gasket component of an exemplary child resistant airtight lid;
FIG. 5B is a top plan view of the gasket component of FIG. 5A;
FIG. 5C is a side elevational view of the gasket of FIG. 5A;
FIG. 5D is an enlarged side elevational view of the gasket of FIG. 5A showing an exemplary edge configuration;
FIG. 5E is an enlarged side elevational view of the gasket of FIG. 5A showing another exemplary edge configuration;
FIG. 5F is an enlarged side elevational view of the gasket of FIG. 5A showing yet another exemplary edge configuration;
FIG. 5G is an enlarged side elevational view of the gasket of FIG. 5A showing a further exemplary edge configuration;
FIG. 6A is a perspective view of a snap cap component of an exemplary child resistant airtight lid;
FIG. 6B is a bottom plan view of the snap cap component of FIG. 6A;
FIG. 6C is a side elevational view of the snap cap component of FIG. 6A;
FIG. 6D is a side view of a sub-assembly of the exemplary child resistant airtight lid showing the gasket component fixed between the inner cap component and the snap cap component;
FIG. 7A is a perspective view of an exemplary jar for use with an exemplary child resistant airtight lid of the current invention;
FIG. 7B is a top plan view of the exemplary jar of FIG. 7A;
FIG. 7C is a side view of the exemplary jar of FIG. 7A;
FIG. 7D is a side view of the exemplary jar of FIG. 7A illustrating structure within as dashed lines;
FIG. 8A is a side view of the sub-assembly of FIG. 6D shown in relation to the neck of an exemplary jar; and
FIG. 8B is a side view of the sub-assembly of FIG. 6D shown as part of a lid applied to an exemplary jar.
Other aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon consideration of the following detailed description, wherein similar structures have similar reference numerals.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The following detailed embodiments presented herein are for illustrative purposes. That is, these detailed embodiments are intended to be exemplary of the present invention for the purposes of providing and aiding a person skilled in the pertinent art to readily understand how to make and use of the present invention.
Referring to FIG. 1, in one embodiment a child resistant airtight lid 10 is illustrated as assembled on a jar 20. The lid 10 in the illustrated embodiment has a concave top surface; however, in other embodiments the top surface of the lid 10 can be flat or convex and can be smooth and/or include any sort of surface decorations, indicia, recesses, or protrusions as may be desired to market the product to be stored within the jar 20 or otherwise as may be known in the art.
Referring to FIG. 2, the lid 10 is shown in an exploded view illustrating the four components thereof. As will be described in detail hereinbelow, an outer cap 30 having radially arranged internal ribs (not visible in FIG. 2) snaps over an outside of an inner cap 40, which has a first plurality of arcuate slots 70 disposed therethrough. A gasket 50 having a plurality of second arcuate slots 80 is affixed to a bottom of the inner cap 40 (as shown in FIG. 2) by a snap cap 60 having a plurality of radially flexible snap fingers 90 that extend through the first and second pluralities of arcuate slots 70, 80 and snap over an upward facing bottom surface 100 of the inner cap 40. In one embodiment the snap cap 60 further includes a central protruding structure 110, in this example an annular ring 110, that fits within a central circular aperture 120 in the gasket 50 to limit lateral motion of the gasket 50 relative to either the snap cap 60 or the inner cap 40.
Referring to FIGS. 3A-3D, the outer cap 30 includes a wall 130 and a skirt 140 that extends from a periphery of the wall 130. An arrangement of a plurality of radially oriented elongate protrusions 150 is circumferentially distributed on an inner surface 160 of the wall 130. As will be demonstrated hereinbelow the plurality of protrusions 150 are part of a child resistant opening mechanism. The outer cap 30 further includes a rib or protrusion 170 that extends radially inward from an inner surface of the skirt 140. As will be further described below, the rib 170 snaps over an edge of the inner cap 40 during assembly of the lid 10 and retains the outer cap 30 on the inner cap 40. The outer cap 30 can be manufactured, for example without limitation, from typical plastic polymers using methods including injection molding, compression molding, and fabrication or from other suitable materials using other suitable methods as are known in the art.
Referring to FIGS. 4A-4D, the inner cap 40 includes an annular recess 180 defined by a base annular wall 190, and inner and outer skirts 200, 210 extending from the annular wall 190. A central recess 220 is defined by the inner skirt 200 and a central wall 230 attached at an end of the inner skirt 200 opposite from the annular wall 190. The annular recess 180 faces oppositely away from the central recess 220. The annular wall 190 includes an arrangement of a plurality of ramped elongate radially oriented protrusions 240 circumferentially distributed on a surface 250 of the annular wall 190 facing away from the annular recess 180. As shown in FIGS. 4A, 40, and 4D, in one embodiment each of the plurality of ramped elongate radially oriented protrusions 240 is squared on one circumferential facing edge but ramped on an opposite circumferential facing edge. The rationale for and directionality of the ramps will be further explained below in connection with the functionality of the child resistant opening mechanism.
The first plurality of arcuate slots 70 is best visible in FIG. 4B as disposed through the central wall 230. As visible in FIGS. 4B and 4D, each of the first plurality of arcuate slots 70 has a radially directed ramped outer radial edge 75. The ramped outer edges 75 cause each slot 70 to be larger at a side of the central wall 230 facing away from the protrusions 240 than at a side of the central wall 230 facing the same direction as the protrusions 240. The ramped outer edges 75 thereby assist in the assembly of the inner cap 40 with the snap cap 60 as will be further explained hereinbelow. Also visible in FIGS. 4B and 4D, the inner cap 40 includes a set of threads 260 that extend radially inward from the inner surface of the outer skirt 210. The inner cap 40 can be manufactured, for example without limitation, from typical plastic polymers using methods including injection molding, compression molding, and fabrication or from other suitable materials using other suitable methods as are known in the art.
Referring to FIGS. 5A-5C, the gasket 50, in one embodiment is a sheet of compressible material sized to extend radially outwardly from the inner skirt 200 of the inner cap 40 (see FIG. 6D). The gasket 50 includes the second plurality of arcuate slots 80 and the central circular aperture 120 as best seen in FIG. 5B. The gasket 50 can be manufactured, for example without limitation, from typical plastic polymers using methods including injection molding, compression molding, and fabrication or from other suitable materials using other suitable methods as are known in the art. As shown in FIGS. 5D-5G in some embodiments an edge configuration of the gasket 50 is beveled at any one or two angles as desired to a sharp edge (FIG. 5D), whereas in other embodiments the edge configuration of the gasket 50 is squared off (FIG. 5E), rounded (FIG. 5F), or has a 3-sided edge (FIG. 5G). In still further embodiments not illustrated, the edge configuration of the gasket 50 can have a 4 or more sided edge, or any regular or irregular shape as may be desired or as otherwise known in the art.
Referring to FIGS. 6A-6C, the snap cap 60 includes a flat plate 270 from which the plurality of radially flexible snap fingers 90 and the central circular aperture 120 extend. Each of the plurality of snap fingers 90 includes a radially outwardly facing shoulder portion 95 on a free end thereof, and each of the shoulder portions 95 further includes a ramped end surface 98 (see FIGS. 6A and 6C). The snap cap 60 can be manufactured, for example without limitation, from typical plastic polymers using methods including injection molding, compression molding, and fabrication or from other suitable materials using other suitable methods as are known in the art.
Referring to FIG. 6D, a portion of the lid 10 has been assembled into a sub-assembly 275 that includes the inner cap 40, the gasket 50, and the snap cap 60. FIG. 6D is provided to not only show how the noted components appear when assembled but also to show that the edge of the gasket 50 when assembled between the snap cap 60 and the inner cap 40 extends radially beyond both by a distance indicated as D and from a center line 280 by a distance indicated as R.
Referring to FIGS. 7A-7D, an exemplary jar 20 is illustrated. The exemplary jar shown in FIGS. 7A-7D is a generally round jar having an annularly supported concave base and an interior volume 290 having a correspondingly raised central bottom portion. However, the shape, external configuration, configuration of the interior volume, and/or material of the jar are not relevant to the operation of the lid 10 and may be any combination of shapes and configurations as desired for aesthetic or other reasons as may be known in the art. The jar 20 has a neck 300 having a set of threads 310 disposed on an outer surface thereof. The neck 300 has an interior radius R1 as shown in FIG. 7B.
Assembly of the lid 10 begins with a sub-assembly 275 of the gasket 50 between the snap cap 60 and the inner cap 40 as illustrated in FIG. 6D. To achieve the sub-assembly 275 the gasket 50 is placed against the central wall 230 of the inner cap 40 on a side facing the annular recess 180 with the first and second pluralities of arcuate slots 70, 80 lined up. The snap cap 60 is advanced toward the gasket 50 so that the plurality of radially flexible snap fingers 90 passes through the second plurality of arcuate slots 80. Further advancement of the snap cap 60 toward the inner cap 40 causes the ramped surfaces 98 at the free ends of the plurality of radially flexible snap fingers 90 to contact the ramped outer edges 75 of the first plurality of arcuate slots 70. Continued application of force on the snap cap 60 toward the inner cap 40 causes the ramped surfaces 98 of the shoulder portions 95 to ride up the ramped outer edges 75 causing the plurality of radially flexible snap fingers 90 to elastically flex radially inwardly, which creates a radially outward elastic bias in the plurality of radially flexible snap fingers 90. Further continued application of force on the snap cap 60 toward the inner cap 40 results in the shoulder portions 95 passing beyond the first plurality of arcuate slots 70 and snapping outwardly in response to the created radially outward elastic bias.
With the gasket 50 secured between the snap cap 60 and the inner cap 40 by the shoulder portions 95 being stuck behind the central wall 230, the sub-assembly 275 shown in FIG. 6D is ready to accept the outer cap 30. With the inner surface 160 of the wall 130 oriented toward the surface 250 of the annular wall 190 the outer cap 30 is advanced toward the inner cap 40. Further advancement of the outer cap 30 toward the inner cap 40 causes the rib or protrusion 170 to contact the outer surface of the skirt 210. Further advancement of the outer cap 30 over the inner cap 40 causes the rib or protrusion 170 to snap over a shoulder 320 (see FIG. 6D) on the inner cap 40. In an embodiment the rib or protrusion 170 is one continuous structure, but in other embodiments the rib or protrusion 170 comprises a plurality of ribs or protrusions 170 distributed around the inner surface of the skirt 140 and separated by spaces therebetween.
The outer cap 30 is thus affixed to the inner cap 40. Referring to FIGS. 3D and 4C, dimension H1 on the outer cap 30 measured between an inner side of the rib 170 and the outward most surfaces of the plurality of protrusions 150 as shown in FIG. 3D is greater than dimension H2 on the inner cap 40 measured between the shoulder 320 and top most surfaces of the plurality of ramped elongate radially oriented protrusions 240. The difference in size between dimensions H1 and H2 allows the outer cap 30 to remain attached to the inner cap 40 while having two differently engaging geometries. In a first engaging geometry the outer cap 30 is positioned with the rib 170 close to or touching the shoulder 320 so that the outer cap 30 may freely rotate relative to the inner cap 40 without the plurality of protrusions 150 interfering with the plurality of protrusions 240. In a second engaging geometry the outer cap 30 is positioned with the plurality of protrusions 150 close to or touching the surface 250 on the inner cap 40. The child resistant opening mechanism is described with regard to this second engaging geometry.
Referring to FIGS. 4A, 4C, and 4D, in one embodiment the ramped elongate radially oriented protrusions 240 circumferentially distributed on the surface 250 of the annular wall 190 are arranged so that the ramped portion of each protrusion faces in a clockwise sense when viewed from above. The side of each protrusion facing in a counter-clockwise sense when viewed from above is a right angle. When the outer cap 30 is disposed in the second engaging geometry, the plurality of protrusions 150 is meshed between the plurality of protrusions 240, Any attempt to apply a torque to the outer cap 30 to turn the outer cap 30 clockwise relative to the inner cap 40 will engage the plurality of protrusions 150 with the flat walls presented by the right angled sides of the plurality of protrusions 240 and the inner cap 40 will turn with the outer cap 30. In this way threads 260 in the inner cap 40 can be engaged with threads 310 on the jar 20 to tighten the lid 10 onto the jar 20.
Once the lid 10 is tightened onto the jar 20, the above described geometry provides a child resistant opening mechanism as follows. Any attempt to apply a torque to the outer cap 30 turn the outer cap 30 counter-clockwise relative to the inner cap 40 will engage the plurality of protrusions 150 with the ramped sides of the plurality of protrusions 240. A force component of the applied torque directed along the ramps will overcome the static and dynamic friction between the plurality of protrusions 150 and the ramps of the plurality of protrusions 240 and drive the plurality of protrusions 150 up the ramps, which will cause the plurality of protrusions 150 and the outer cap 30 to ride up the ramps and not turn with the outer cap 30. In order to make the inner cap 40 turn counter-clockwise with the outer cap 30 to remove the lid 10, a downward force on the outer cap 30 toward the inner cap 40 must be applied while applying the torque to the outer cap 30. If the downward force on the outer cap 30 is sufficient to overcome a vertical component of the force component of the applied torque that is directed along the ramps of the plurality of protrusions 240, then the plurality of protrusions 150 will not ride up the ramps and the inner cap 40 will turn with the outer cap 30. The combination of a sufficient downward force and a torque applied to the outer cap 30 is what provides a child resistant opening mechanism for the lid 10.
Referring now to FIG. 8A, the sub-assembly 275 of FIG. 6D is shown in relationship to an exemplary jar 20. The distance that the gasket 50 extends from the centerline 280 is indicated as R. The jar 20 is indicated to have an inner radius in the neck 300 of R1. If R is greater than R1 then the gasket 50 will form a seal against the inner surface of the wall of the neck 300 when a lid 10 having the sub-assembly 275 is applied to the jar 20. The seal formed may be the result of radial compression, elastic bending, and or compression of a thickness of the gasket 50 that has been bent and is trapped between the inner cap 40 and the inner surface of the wall of the neck 300. For example, FIG. 8B illustrates an embodiment of the sub-assembly 275 installed on the jar 20 and shows the gasket 50 forming a seal by being bent and compressed by the inner surface of the wall of the neck 300.
INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY
An airtight lid for a jar has a sealing gasket and a child resistant opening mechanism. The lid can be manufactured by industry and used to store aromatic contents safely while inhibiting access thereto by children.
Numerous modifications to the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art in view of the foregoing description. It is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention. Accordingly, this description is to be construed as illustrative only of the principles of the invention and is presented for the purpose of enabling those skilled in the art to make and use the invention and to teach the best mode of carrying out same. The exclusive rights to all modifications which come within the scope of the appended claims are reserved. All patents, patent publications and applications, and other references cited herein are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.
Patent Grant
11628988
