Child-safe closure device with a deformation engagement skirt
View Patent ↗The invention is a child-safe closure device for a container ( 1 ) including i) a stopper having a base and a cylindrical side wall, the inside face of which has a screwthread and a first series of teeth ( 13 ), and ii) a collar ( 16 ) connected to the side wall and equipped with a second series of teeth ( 17 ), these two series of teeth engaged with corresponding series of teeth ( 4,7 ) positioned on a base of the neck ( 2 ) of the container ( 1 ), wherein a) the cylindrical side wall is made of a rigid zone ( 10 ), and a skirt ( 11 ), or a flexible and deformable zone, and b) the collar ( 16 ) is attached to the skirt ( 11 ) by frangible bridges ( 22 ), such that deformation of the skirt ( 11 ) does not result in deformation of the collar ( 16 ).
1. A child-safety container and closure device comprising:
a container comprising:
an open top end and a closed base;
a sidewall extending upward from the closed base;
a neck extending between the sidewall and the open top end, the neck comprising:
an upper annular wall extending downward from the open top end, the upper annular wall having an outer screw thread; and,
a lower annular wall having a first set of outer serrations and a second set of outer serrations;
a cap comprising:
a closed top for closing the open top end of the container, the closed top having an outer edge and a bottom surface;
an outer cylindrical skirt extending downward from the outer edge of the closed top, the outer cylindrical skirt comprising:
an upper skirt portion having a first diameter and an inner screw thread, the upper skirt portion being rigid and non-deformable;
a lower skirt portion having a second diameter, a bottom end, two diametrically opposed outer gripping surfaces, and inner child-safety serrations, each inner child-safety serration having a ramp surface connected to a steep declining surface, the lower skirt portion being deformable;
a bottom end; and,
wherein the first diameter is less than the second diameter;
an interior housing extending downward from the bottom surface of the closed top;
a first-opening indicator collar, connected to the bottom end of the outer cylindrical skirt by breakable bridges, the first-opening indicator collar having inner tamper-evidence serrations, each tamper-evidence serration having a ramp surface connected to a steep declining surface;
wherein the inner child-safety and tamper-evidence serrations oppose the first and second sets of outer serrations on the neck of the container, and the first and second sets of outer serrations:
(i) slide along the ramp surfaces of the inner child-safety and tamper evidence serrations when closing the container, and
(ii) lock against the steep declining surfaces of the inner child-safety and tamper evidence serrations when opening the container,
wherein double centripetal lateral symmetrical pressure exerted on the two diametrically opposed gripping surfaces deforms the lower skirt portion and the first opening indicator collar causing the tamper-evidence serrations to cooperate with the second set of outer serrations on the neck of the container.
2. The child-safety container and closure device according to claim 1 , wherein the inner child-safety serrations are a pair of diametrically opposed serrations positioned on the interior of the lower skirt portion, and cooperate with the first set of outer serrations.
3. The child-safety container and closure device according to claim 1 , wherein the tamper-evidence serrations are aligned with the two gripping surfaces.
4. The child-safety container and closure device according to claim 1 , wherein the child-safety and tamper-evidence serrations are disposed in perpendicular planes.
5. The child-safety container and closure device according to claim 1 , wherein the breakable bridges are four breakable bridges.
6. The child-safety container and closure device according to claim 5 , wherein two of the four bridges are proximal and adjacent to the tamper-evidence serrations.
7. The child-safety container and closure device according to claim 1 , the interior housing of the cap further comprising a dehydrating element.
8. The child-safety container and closure device according to claim 7 , the dehydrating element further comprising a suitable housing and a dehydrating agent, wherein the suitable housing is closed by a closure element not impervious to moisture.
9. The child-safety container and closure device according to claim 8 , wherein the dehydrating agent is chosen from the group consisting of silica gels, molecular sieves and diatomaceous earths, wherein said dehydrating agent is in a powdery form, or deposited on a powdery support, or in the form of a capsule produced from a polymer material containing dehydrating fillers.
10. The child-safety container and closure device according to claim 1 , the cap further comprising an interior coaxial cylindrical element cooperating with a beveled rim of the open top end to form a seal.
11. The child-safety container and closure device according to claim 1 , wherein the child-safety container and closure device is produced from the group consisting of: polyethylenes, polypropylenes, ethylene/propylene copolymers used alone or in a mixture, formulated or not, polyamides (PA), polystyrenes (PS), acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymers (ABS), styrene-acrylonitrile copolymers (SAN), polymethyl methacrylates (PMMA), polyethyleneterephthalates (PET), polybutyleneterephthalates (PBT), polyacetals (POM), polyvinyl chlorides (PVC) and polycarbonates (PC).
12. The child-safety container and closure device according to claim 11 , wherein the compositions are formulated from thermoplastic polymers containing thermoplastic elastomers.