Patent Application
20240158142
The present invention relates to a cover for a container. More specifically, the invention relates to a child-resistant cover that is adapted for mounting on a container having a rim, such as a can, containing a beverage or other contents.
Liquids, powders, and the like, are often stored in containers, having an operable opening mechanism at an end. These containers are often equipped with a rim located at or near the end with the opening mechanism. For example, liquid beverages are usually stored in cylindrical aluminum cans having a “pop-top” or pull tab at one end and a circular rim at or near the same end. These pull tabs allow the user to open the container to easily access the contents within it.
However, some contents that are stored in containers are not necessarily safe for children. For example, alcoholic beverages which can be unsafe for young children are often stored in such containers. Therefore, it is sometimes desirable to prevent, or at least make it more difficult, for children to gain access to the contents of the container. However, these containers often do not include any child-resistant mechanisms to prevent children from gaining access to the contents of the container. Therefore, there exists a need to provide a child-resistant cover to retrofit such a container.
It is among the objects of this invention to overcome the limitations of the heretofore-known devices by providing inventive features to achieve: a.) a retrofit cover to existing containers; b.) a child-resistant mechanism to prevent, or at least make it more difficult, for children to access the contents of the container; c.) accessibility of the contents in a container with a child-resistant mechanism for adults; and d.) the ability to stack such containers.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a child-resistant cover for mounting on a container, the container comprising a circular rim, the rim defining a first diameter at a periphery of the container and a second diameter smaller than the first diameter and directly below the periphery of the container. In one embodiment, the child-resistant cover comprises a top wall, a release band, one or more tabs, and a plurality of locking elements.
The top wall comprises an exterior surface, an opposing interior surface, and a peripheral edge.
The release band extends downward from the peripheral edge of the top wall, and the release band comprises a top edge, a bottom edge, an inner surface, an opposing outer surface, and a thickness.
The top edge of the release band further comprises a first portion and a second portion. The first portion of the top edge of the release band is permanently attached to the top wall by one or more permanent attachment points, and the second portion of the top edge of the release band is removably attached to the top wall by one or more break-away attachment points.
The one or more tabs extend upward on or near the peripheral edge of the top wall.
The plurality of locking elements extends inwardly from the inner surface of the release band, and the plurality of locking elements defines a diameter that is smaller than the first diameter of the rim, but larger than the second diameter of the rim. The plurality of locking elements is adapted to engage the circular rim of the container and to prevent removal of the child-resistant cover from the container once engaged.
In some embodiments of the present invention, the top wall is solid and/or opaque. In other embodiments, the top wall can be transparent or may contain openings or a pattern of openings extending from the exterior surface to the interior surface which make it easier to discern the opening mechanism which is blocked from the user by the top wall. The top wall can also have a variety of shapes. For example, in some embodiments, the top wall can be planar, or non-planar. In non-planar embodiments of the top wall, the top wall may be convex or concave.
In some embodiments of the present invention, the release band may extend completely around the peripheral edge of the top wall, forming a ring. In embodiments where the release band forms a ring, the release band may further comprise a break-off bead extending vertically at a single point from the top edge to the bottom edge of the release band. The break-off bead further comprises a thickness that is smaller than the thickness of the release band in order to facilitate the breaking of the release band to remove the cover by an adult. In such embodiments, one of the one or more tabs may be substantially aligned with the break-off bead in order to provide a greater gripping area.
In other embodiments, the release band may only partially extend around the peripheral edge of the top wall leaving a gap to facilitate gripping the end of the release band. In such embodiments, one of the one or more tabs may be placed at or near the end of the release band to provide an extended gripping area.
In some embodiments of the present invention, at least one of the one or more break-away attachment points comprises a plurality of break-away bridges. In other embodiments, the release band may comprise two or more break-away attachment points, and each of the two or more break-away attachment points may further comprise a plurality of break-away bridges. If multiple break-away attachment points are provided, in some embodiments, each of the break-away attachment points can comprise an equal number of break-away bridges, making the resistance to breakage of each of the break-away attachment points identical. Alternatively, in other embodiments where multiple break-away attachment points are provided, the break-away attachment points can each comprise a different number of break-away bridges. For example, some of the break-away attachment points may have more break-away bridges than other break-away attachment points, thereby making the total resistance to breakage relatively higher when compared with the other break-away attachment points with fewer break-away bridges.
Finally, in some embodiments, the one or more tabs extending upward from the peripheral edge of the top wall can be arranged to receive an end of a second container, enabling the stacking of containers through the use of the disclosed cover.
Although the invention is illustrated and described herein as embodied for use on a can, it is nevertheless not intended to be limited to only the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention and within the scope and range of equivalents of the claims.
The construction of the invention, however, together with additional objects and advantages thereof will be best understood from the following description of the specific disclosed embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings.
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In other embodiments (not shown), the release band (204) may only partially extend around the peripheral edge (203) of the top wall (200) leaving a gap to facilitate gripping the end of the release band (204). In such an embodiment, one of the one or more tabs (212) may also be placed at or near the end of the release band (204) to provide an expanded gripping area (219).
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In operation, the cover (1) is applied to a container (100) by placing it over the top of the container (100) until the plurality of locking elements (213) comes into contact with the circular rim (102) of the container (100). The cover (1) is then pressed down, temporarily deforming the plurality of locking elements (213) until they are urged past the rim (102) and again regain their original shape, locking the cover (1) onto the container (100). The horizontal top surface (215) of the plurality of locking elements (213) makes it very difficult for the cover (1) to accidentally disengage from the container (100). To remove the cover (1), the release band (204) is broken at the break-off bead (216) and pulled outwardly until one or more of the break-away attachment points (211) are broken, disengaging the plurality of locking elements (213) from the rim (102) of the container (100). Once a sufficient number of the plurality of locking elements (213) is disengaged from the rim (102), the cover (1) can be released from the container (100) exposing the opening mechanism (101) of the container (100). Shown in
The cover (1) herein described can have unitary construction or be assembled for different components. Materials suitable for the cover (1) include polyethylene, polyethylene terephthalate, or any other resilient food-grade material, including food-grade plastics.
Although described above in connection with a child-resistant cover for aluminum cans, these descriptions are not intended to be limiting, as other covers can be made in accordance with the description herein, but of different size or scale, for use on other containers, as desired. As such, although the invention is illustrated and described herein, various modifications and structural changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention and within the scope and range of equivalents of the claims.
Any reference in this specification to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” an “example embodiment,” etc., means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the implementation is included in at least one embodiment of the invention. The appearances of such phrases in various places in the specification are not necessarily referring to the same embodiment. In addition, any elements or limitations of any invention or embodiment thereof disclosed herein can be combined with any and/or all other elements or limitations (individually or in any combination) or any invention or embodiment thereof disclosed herein, and all such combinations are contemplated with the scope of the invention without limitation thereto.
Although described above in connection with particular configurations, these descriptions are not intended to be limiting as various modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention and within the scope and range of equivalents of the described embodiments. Encompassed embodiments of the present invention can be used in all containers calling for a child-resistant cover.
While a number of embodiments of the present invention have been described, it is understood that these examples and embodiments are illustrative only, and not restrictive, and that many modifications may become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art and are to be included within the spirit and purview of this application. For example, any element described herein may be provided in any desired size (e.g., any element described herein may be provided in any desired custom size or any element described herein may be provided in any desired size selected from a “family” of sizes, such as small, medium, large). Further, one or more of the components may be made from many different suitable materials.
In addition, various modifications and additions can be made to the exemplary embodiments discussed without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, while the embodiments described above refer to particular features, the scope of this invention also includes embodiments having different combinations of features and embodiments that do not include all of the described features. Accordingly, the scope of the present invention is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications, and variations as fall within the scope of the claims, together with all equivalents thereof.
This application is being filed as a non-provisional patent application under 35 U.S.C. § 111(a) and 37 CFR § 1.53(b). This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) to U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 63/383,209 filed on Nov. 10, 2022, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63383209 | Nov 2022 | US |
