Claims
- 1. A cap for attachment to a generally tubular container having a cavity, an opening to said cavity and a flange about the periphery of said opening, said cap including:
- a cap housing dimensioned to generally correspond to said opening in said container;
- a cover member attached to said housing for enclosing said opening in said tubular container;
- means about the periphery of said cover member for pneumatically sealing said cavity when said cap is attached to said container;
- a plurality of latch elements mounted to said housing, each of said latch elements including a hook shaped protrusion dimensioned to engage said flange and being movable along an individual path which is generally perpendicular to a predetermined axis to reciprocate between an attached position wherein said hook shaped projections are disposed to engage and grip said flange on said container and a release position wherein said latch elements have moved outward away from said axis and said hook shaped projections are removed from said flange;
- an actuator movable along said axis between a first position and a second position, and
- link means operable to connect said actuator to said plurality of latch elements, said latch elements being in said attached position when said actuator is in said first position and being in said release position when said actuator in said second position.
- 2. A cap as defined in claim 1 further comprising biassing means biassing said actuator toward said first position.
- 3. A cap as defined in claim 1 wherein said cover member includes a generally flat surface for facing and enclosing said cavity of said container and a surface facing said cap housing formed to include a plurality of radially extending slots, said slots dimensioned to receive said latch element therein and to confine said latch elements between said cap housing and said cover member, said slots defining the paths of said latching elements.
- 4. A cap as defined in claim 1 wherein said cap includes four radially spaced latching elements.
- 5. A cap as defined in claim 1 wherein said cap housing and said cover member define a chamber therebetween and said latch elements are confined within said chamber with said hook shaped protrusion extending therefrom, and said actuator is disposed within said chamber and includes a stem portion extending from said housing.
- 6. A cap as defined in claim 5 wherein said stem portion of said actuator includes cap actuating surface means at the end thereof.
- 7. A cap for enclosing a generally tubular container having a cavity, an opening to said cavity and a flange about the periphery of said opening, said cap including:
- a cap housing dimensioned to generally correspond to said opening in said container;
- a plurality of latch elements mounted to said housing, each of said latch elements including a hook shaped protrusion dimensioned to engage said flange and being movable along an individual path which is generally perpendicular to a predetermined axis to reciprocate between an attached position wherein said hook shaped projections are disposed to engage and grip said flange on said container and a release position wherein said latch elements have moved outward away from said axis and said hook shaped projections are removed from said flange;
- an actuator movable along said axis between a first position and a second position, and biassing means biassing said actuator toward said first position,
- link means operable to connect said actuator to said plurality of latch elements, said latch elements being in said attached position when said actuator is in said first position and being in said release position when said actuator is in said second position,
- wherein said cap is cylindrical and radially symmetrical about said axis.
Parent Case Info
This is a divisional of application Ser. No. 07/621,015 filed on Nov. 30, 1990, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,131,792.
US Referenced Citations (11)
Foreign Referenced Citations (2)
Number |
Date |
Country |
2131052 |
Jan 1973 |
DEX |
38086 |
May 1936 |
NLX |
Divisions (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
621015 |
Nov 1990 |
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