Moisture-tight safety closure and container

Abstract

A moisture-tight safety closure and a container wherein a depending flexible, circumferentially extending sealing lip on the closure engages a radius finish on the neck of the container. A plurality of circumferentially extending lugs on the closure cooperate with a plurality of circumferentially spaced hooks on the container neck for releasably securing the closure to the container.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The moisture tight safety closure and container of the present invention is an improvement on the container closure assembly shown and described in pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/444,309 filed May 23, 2003, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

After considerable research and experimentation, it has been found that by providing a radius finish on the neck of a container in lieu of a tapered finish, as disclosed in the above-noted pending application, an improved moisture-tight seal is provided when the depending flexible flange on the closure engages the radius finish due to reduced contact area. This reduces friction and increases the upward bias of the closure. Seal pressure is concentrated over a smaller area.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The moisture-tight safety closure and container of the present invention comprises, essentially, a cap of cup-like form having a top wall and a cylindrical skirt portion depending therefrom. A circumferentially extending, tapered, flexible sealing lip depends from the top wall of the cap and is spaced radially inwardly from the skirt.

The container has a neck provided with an annular upper end portion having a radially outwardly extending convex surface to thereby form a radius finish on the container neck.

The cap has a plurality of circumferentially spaced, radially inwardly directed lugs on the cap skirt adapted to cooperate with a plurality of circumferentially spaced slots and hooks on the neck of the container below the radius finish for securing the cap on the container, wherein the sealing lip engages the radius finish to form a moisture-tight seal.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an exploded side elevational view of the container and closure of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary view of FIG. 1 showing the closure in cross-section;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary side elevational view, partly in section, showing the initial position of the closure and associated sealing lip when placed on the neck of the container;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary, partly in section, view showing the closure in the sealing position on the neck of the container;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary, partly in section, view showing the closure in the pushed down position to release the locking lugs;

FIG. 6 is a sectional side elevational view of the closure;

FIG. 7 is a view taken along line 7-7 of FIG. 6; and,

FIGS. 8A, 8B and 8C are schematic views of the relative positions of the lugs on the closure and the slots and hooks on the neck of the container when placing the closure on the container and turning the closure to the locked position.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to the drawings and more particularly to FIGS. 1 and 2, the moisture-tight safety closure 1 and container 2 of the present invention comprises a cap 1a of cup-like form having a top wall 1b and a cylindrical skirt portion 1c depending therefrom. A circumferentially extending, tapered flexible sealing lip 1d depends from the top wall 1b of the cap 1a and is spaced radially inwardly from the cap skirt 1c.

The container 2 has a neck 2a provided with an annular upper end portion having a radially outwardly extending convex surface 2b, to thereby form a radius finish on the container neck 2a.

The cap 1a is provided with a plurality of circumferentially spaced, radially inwardly extending lugs 1e on the skirt 1c adapted to cooperate, respectively, with a plurality of circumferentially spaced trackways 2c and hooks 2d on the container neck below the radius finish 2b, to be described more fully hereinafter.

As will be seen in FIG. 3, when the closure 1 is initially placed on the neck 2a of the container 2, the lower edge of the sealing lip 1d engages the radius finish 2b at the upper end portion thereof and each lug 1e is positioned in a respective trackway 2c. By rotating the closure in a clock-wise direction, the lugs 1e are engaged by the hooks 2d, as shown in FIG. 4. In this position, the sealing lip 1d engages the radial finish 2b at substantially its medial or larger diameter whereby the lower end portion of the sealing lip is flexed outwardly to thereby form a moisture-tight seal with the container 2.

While in this position with the sealing lip 2d pressing against the radius finish 2b, an upward biasing force is produced seating the lugs 1e into locking engagement with the hooks 2d.

To remove the closure, as will be seen in FIG. 5, the closure 1 is pushed downwardly against the upwardly biasing force of the sealing lip 1d, to thereby move the lugs 1e away from the hooks 2d, whereby the closure can be turned counter-clockwise for removal thereof.

The details of the construction and arrangement of the lugs 1e and hooks 2d are illustrated in FIGS. 8A, 8B and 8C. Each hook 2d is provided with a downwardly tapered forward cam surface 2e, a tip portion 2f, a downwardly facing notched recess 2g and an inclined back surface 2h. The hooks 2d are spaced apart a predetermined distance wherein the cam surface 2e of each hook 2d is spaced from the inclined surface 2g of an adjacent hook 2d, to thereby form the the trackway 2c between adjacent hooks 2d receiving the lugs 1e below a plane through the tip of the forward cam surface 2e, as shown in FIG. 8B. In this position, the closure 1 has been placed on the container 2, as shown in FIG. 3.

By rotating the closure 2 in a clockwise direction, each lug 1e engages a respective hook cam surface 2e and slides downwardly thereon before entering the notched recess 2f. In this position, the closure is in the moisture-tight position, as shown in FIG. 4.

It is to be understood that the form of the invention herewith shown and described is to be taken as a preferred example of the same, and that various changes in the shape, size, and arrangement of parts may be resorted to, without departing from, the spirit of the invention or scope of the subjoined claims.

Claims

1. A moisture-tight safety closure and container comprising a cap having a top wall, a cylindrical skirt portion depending from said top wall, a circumferentially extending, tapered, flexible sealing lip depending from the top wall of said cap, said sealing lip being spaced radially inwardly from the skirt; a neck on said container, an annular upper end portion on said neck having a radially outwardly extending convex surface to thereby form a radius finish on the container neck, and means for releasably securing the cap to the container neck whereby the sealing lip engages the radius finish to thereby provide a moisture-tight closure.

2. A moisture-tight safety closure and container, according to claim 1, wherein the means for releasably securing the cap to the container neck comprises a plurality of circumferentially spaced, radially inwardly extending lugs on the cap skirt portion, and a plurality of circumferentially spaced trackways and hooks on the container neck below the radius finish.

3. A moisture-tight safety closure and container, according to claim 2, wherein each hook element has a downwardly tapered forward cam surface, an inclined back surface and a downwardly facing notched recess communicating with said forward cam surface, said hook elements being spaced apart a predetermined distance, whereby the cam surface of each hook element is spaced from the inclined back surface of an adjacent hook element to thereby provide said trackway between adjacent hook elements, said lugs being positioned in a respective trackway below a plane through the tip of the forward cam surface when the sealing lip lightly engages the radius finish on the neck of the container, whereby the cap only has to be rotated to engage the lugs into the notched recesses to secure the cap to the container.