The present invention relates generally to a safety closure for a beverage container and in particular to a safety closure that includes lateral projections that facilitate rotation of the closure and also are configured to prevent an infant from ingesting the closure.
Beverages are often stored in containers that have screw caps. When the beverage is consumed thereafter, the cap that is removed from the container is often left in the proximity of an infant. There is of course the risk of an infant ingesting the cap into his/her mouth. This is particularly a concern when the beverage in the container is one that is targeted toward children and infants. Since the dimensions of most conventional closures are only insignificantly larger in diameter when compared to the respective opening in the container, the size of most conventional bottle caps would make them ingestible by an infant. Accordingly, a bottle closure that would avoid the risk of ingestion would be desirable.
Generally speaking, in accordance with the invention, a safety closure for a beverage container that would prevent an infant from ingesting the cap is provided. The closure includes a cylindrical cap body that is adapted to be releasably secured to a beverage container. At least one lateral projection extends from the cylindrical cap and is of a sufficient length to prevent an infant from ingesting the cap and also facilitates rotation of the cap to releasably secure the cap to the container. In a preferred embodiment, the lateral projections face inn opposite direction and are aligned with each other and are of sufficient dimension to prevent an infant from ingesting the safety closure.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide an improved safety closure that prevents infants from ingesting the cap.
It is a further object of the instant invention to provide a safety closure that prevents ingestion by an infant for use in containers that have food products.
It is still a further object of the instant invention to have lateral projections that are sufficiently dimensioned to infants' anatomy to prevent a health hazard caused by swallowing.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a closure cap that has an ergonomic configuration that is for use with a flat container pouch that can store beverages and that permits a high packing density.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a safety closure that includes projections that form an opening for saving material and for permitting the opening to receive a fastener or be supported on a post.
Additional features and advantages of the present invention is described further below. This summary section is meant merely to illustrate certain features of the invention. It is not meant to limit the scope of the invention in any way. The failure to discuss a specific feature or embodiment of the invention or the inclusion of one or more features in this summary section not be construed to limit the invention claimed.
The foregoing summary as well as the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the application will be better understood when read in conjunction with the appended drawings. For purposes of illustrating the device of the present application there is shown in the drawings preferred embodiments. It should be understood, however, that the application is not limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentality shown. In the drawings
Reference is made to
As will be discussed in greater detail with respect to
Reference is specifically made to
Reference is made to
By using this configuration where the thickness of the wing decreased from its outer periphery as it extends inwardly toward the opening 7, material used to manufacture the product is saved on the one hand and an opening is provided on the other hand to permit a suspended hook to support the closing cap or a container with the cap screwed on. Such a closure is particularly suitable for flexible foil pouches that are used to store fruit beverages and other food products. This closure configuration will facilitate sales of the product as well as storage and transportation and handling by the consumer. In an exemplary embodiment opening 7 is preferably centrally arranged above the basic cap body 3 to facilitate balanced suspended storage particularly desirable of the upper region 7a (
It is however recognized that despite the advantages described above, it is within the scope of the invention to form the wing 5 without any recess, without a symmetrical opening or with a plurality of openings. Similarly, the reduction of the thickness of the wing as it extends towards the aperture is not a requirement of the invention but does provide certain benefits which have already been described above.
As illustrated in
In a preferred embodiment the width E and height F of this substantially triangle shape are preferably 2.5 centimeters to 6 centimeters. In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, in order to provide even a greater safety factor, the dimensions are within a range of 3 centimeters to 6 centimeters.
In an alternative embodiment of the invention, the shape of the closing cap can be adapted to a particular container shape in order to obtain the particularly advantageous ergonomic shape. For example, the wing need not be in symmetry with the main axis 3a the basic cap body 3. Rather, there could be a projection at one side or at both sides of a container. Similarly, the shape and size ratio of the lateral wing sections 5a and 5b and of the tab section 5c may differ from the embodiment. For example, the opening 7 can be smaller, the tab shaped section could be thicker. It is however within the scope of the instant invention that the closing cap 1 should be configured to address an infant's anatomy so that swallowing or ingestion is reliably prevented.
Although the invention is suitable for use with large containers with wide openings and large closing caps, it is particularly important in the case of small containers to provide a large closing cap. The ingestion proof closing cap of the instant invention is therefore particularly advantageous for containers with contents of up to 1 liter and in particular with containers of contents of 500 millimeters and very popular for containers with contents of up to 330 ml. Moreover the ratio of container volume to the volume of the closing cap defined by the latter contours thereof if preferably 50 to 1 and in an exemplary embodiment 10 to 2. The ratio of a maximum dimension of an associated container such as the height thereof to the width E and/or height F the wing 6 is preferably 10 to 1 and in an exemplary embodiment 7 to 2. Moreover, in another embodiment, advantages of the invention are ergonomically obtained by a ratio of 4 to 2.
In the embodiment depicted in
Similarly, although the closing cap assembly can be provided for an upright or suspended container with an opening provided topside thereof such as a flat bag, the instant invention is not limited thereto. In an alternative embodiment the closing cap could also be used with a lateral container opening or a container opening at the bottom of the bag, as long as lateral dimensions are selected to prevent ingestion by an infant.
The instant invention is particularly desirable for screw caps. However it could also be used for other caps. For example, bayonet caps, clamp caps or push-pull caps. A closing cap according to the invention would also provide a benefit if it has been fastened to a container and is detached therefrom for example, after improper use.
The closing cap of the instant invention is preferably made from an elastic sealing material such as polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), a PP copolymer, a PP-PE copolymer or a PP-PE blend. Depending on the intended use, and in particular the beverage stored therein, polyamide, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene and polyoxymethylene are suited as materials for use in the closing cap.
When used with food containers the closing cap 1 must satisfy the relevant provisions and must in this case be made from materials recognized to be safe for food products. However, the closing cap in the instant invention is not limited to food products. For example, it can also be used for containers storing products, for body care, domestic and technical applications, such as soaps, rinsing agents and adhesive. Accordingly, a swallow proof closing cap which is made from biodegradable material might also be appropriate given the environmentally friendly concerns that are now present. Finally, the closing cap of the instant invention is particularly suited for containers in which liquids or pourable substances are stored or transported and reliably prevents the situation where the infant might swallow or ingest the closing cap.
It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the figures are purely illustrative and that the device may be implemented in any number of ways as long as the functionality is retained.
This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/495,369, entitled SAFETY CLOSURE FOR BEVERAGE CONTAINERS, filed Jun. 30, 2009, which claims the benefit of German Application No. 202009007163.4 filed on May 19, 2009 the entire contents of both of which are incorporated herein by reference.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 12495369 | Jun 2009 | US |
Child | 14175427 | US |