Lockable cap for a bottle
A lockable cap is a security feature for a medical prescription bottle. There is a dial locking mechanism that is attached to the cap and the dial locking mechanism and the cap can be attached or removed from the bottle only when the user has the correct combination on the dial lock. When the combination is incorrect, a mechanism including a dog plate within a cap portion, is disengaged and the inner cap cannot be removed from the bottle.
1. A cap lock attachable to a bottle, comprising:
a cap portion that has an upper surface with a plurality of first gaps in the upper surface;
a rotatable dial lock mounted in the cap portion, the rotatable dial lock having at least four cogs and cams in mechanical relationship with each other to allow the cogs to spin and wherein the cogs are settable to a plurality of combinations;
a dog plate, mounted to the cap portion that freely rotates within the cap portion, the dog plate having one or more teeth that allow sufficient torque to be exerted to rotate the cap when the lock is open;
a locking plate, above the rotatable dial lock, having a plurality of second gaps and pivotally mounted to the cap portion, the locking plate being movable between a locked position and an unlocked position and wherein the plurality of second gaps are in alignment with said plurality of first gaps whereby the cogs are held in place by the plurality of first gaps and the plurality of second gaps; and
the locking plate being placed in the unlocked position when said cogs are set to a predetermined one of said plurality of settings, and said locking plate being placed in said locked position when said cogs are set to one of said plurality of settings other than said predetermined setting, the locking plate having a reset access by which the predetermined setting that places the locking plate in the unlocked position can be reset when the locking plate is in the unlocked position and an arm of the locking plate, when the locking plate is in the locked position, blocking the reset access so that the predetermined setting that places the locking plate in the unlocked position cannot be reset when the locking plate is in the locked position.
2. The cap lock of claim 1 further comprising a base portion that is permanently attached to said cap portion by an interlocking fit between the base portion and the cap portion.
3. The cap lock of claim 1 , wherein the locking plate further comprises an extension of the locking plate that is disengaged from the one or more teeth of the dog plate when the locking plate is in the locked position and the housing cannot be rotated so that the cap lock cannot be removed from a bottle.
4. The cap lock of claim 2 , wherein said interlocking fit is a snap fit.
5. The cap lock of claim 1 , wherein each tooth of the dog plate has a bevel.
6. The cap lock of claim 1 , wherein the locking plate is located above the cams.
7. The cap lock of claim 1 , wherein the first gaps are positioned centrally in the upper surface.
8. The cap lock of claim 1 , wherein each cam has a first surface and a second surface and the locking plate is in the unlocked position when the first surface of each cam is adjacent the locking plate.
9. The cap lock of claim 8 , wherein the locking plate is above the rotatable dial lock and the first surface of each cam is a flat surface that allows the locking plate to move downwards and engage the one or more teeth of the dog plate.
10. The cap lock of claim 9 , wherein the second surface of each cam is a round surface that holds the locking plate and disengages an extension of the locking plate from the one or more teeth of the dog plate.