CHILD RESISTANT CONTAINER

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to containers and more particular, to child resistant containers.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Today, the vast majority of child resistant packaging are made of plastics. In the medical industry alone, some estimate that almost 200 billion medicine bottles are produced each year worldwide, with over 8 billion in the United States alone. Unfortunately, statistics indicates that only about 5%-10% of plastics are recycled. Accordingly, many of these bottles end up discarded in landfills or into the environment (e.g., oceans and forests). Furthermore, colored plastic containers (e.g., the amber pharmaceutical bottles commonly used) are often not accepted by local recycling programs.

Many plastics include ingredients that may be harmful to humans and/or the environment. Among other things, most plastics are not biodegradable and will release harmful chemicals and toxins that enter the earth or waterways. Furthermore, some plastic bottles release small amounts of chemicals into their contents, thereby potentially reducing the efficacy of the content or otherwise harming the end user. For example, older plastics commonly included bisphenol A (“BPA”), which can disrupt the normal regulation of vital processes. While BPA has been substituted in a lot of the plastics used today, there are concerns about the effects that its replacements such as bisphenol S (“BPS”) and bisphenol F (“BPS”) have on humans. In addition, plastics can leech when they are scratched or exposed to heat. Adverse effects from the chemicals released from plastics on humans may include many potential health problems such as, but not limited to, cancer, metabolic disorders (e.g., obesity) and reduced fertility.

While some companies have introduced “eco-friendly” containers, the reality is that many are not as eco-friendly as they say they are and others are very expensive to manufacture so they are not a practical solution.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention comprises a child resistant container that is eco-friendly and economical to manufacture. The container includes a receptacle, a child resistant inner cap and an outer cap that is positioned over the inner cap when in use. The receptacle may be made out of glass to permit the contents of the container to be viewed and to make it better for the environment. The receptacle includes a neck that defines an opening at the top to permit contents to be placed within and removed from the container.

The inner cap is preferably made from a resilient metal such as aluminum and includes a top and a plurality of claw members extending downwardly from and spaced around the periphery of the top. The inner cap is sized to fit over the top of the neck. Each of the claw members includes a body and a leg member extending inwardly therefrom. In use, when the inner cap is placed over the top of the neck, the leg members of the claw members contact an angled wall of a raised member that extends around the upper portion of the neck. Once the inner cap is in place, the claw members may be squeezed or pinched to push the leg members into recessed areas under the raised member, thereby preventing the inner cap from being removed from the container. Alternatively, the leg members may be resilient so that the leg members are automatically biased into the engaged position within the recessed areas once they pass over the raised member. To disengage the leg members from within the recessed areas, the central area of the top of the inner cap may be pushed downwardly to rotate the claw members upwardly, thereby removing the leg members from within the recessed areas.

The outer cap includes an interior that is designed to fit over the neck and includes threading that mates with corresponding threading on the neck to rotatably connect the outer cap to the receptacle. The receptacle may include a ledge that extends outwardly from the bottom of the neck to provide a base for the outer cap to rest upon when in the closed position.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a child resistant container that is economical to manufacture.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a child resistant container that is eco-friendly.

Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed disclosure, taken in conjunction with the accompanying sheets of drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like parts.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of one embodiment of the child resistant container of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the child resistant container shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a bottom perspective view of the outer cap of the child resistant container shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a bottom perspective view of the inner cap of the child resistant container shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the child resistant container shown in FIG. 1 taken along lines 5-5 of FIG. 1 showing the claws of the inner cap in the engaged position.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of the receptacle and inner cap of the child resistant container shown in FIG. 1 showing the claws of the inner cap in the disengaged position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

While this invention is susceptible of embodiment in many different forms, there is shown in the drawings and will herein be described in detail several specific embodiments, with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered merely an exemplification of the principles of the invention and the application is limited only to the appended claims.

FIGS. 1 through 6 show one embodiment of the child resistant container 10 of the present invention comprising a receptacle 12, an inner cap 14 and an outer cap 16. The receptacle 12 may be made of glass to allow the contents stored therein to be viewed and includes a cylindrical body 20 and a neck 22 extending upwardly therefrom. While a small cylindrical body is shown, it is appreciated that the body may be of a variety of shapes and sizes and not depart from the scope of the present invention.

A base member 24 at the bottom of the cylindrical body 20 is preferably flat, but may include raised areas 26 to inhibit sliding of the container on a surface. While a series of small, raised bumps are shown, it is appreciated that the raised areas may be of a variety of shapes or sizes, and may be positioned in varying locations on the bottom of the receptacle.

The neck 22 includes threading 30 having a raised surface 32 that coils around the lower and middle portions of the neck 22 to form a groove 34 therebetween. 1 An upper annular wall 40 may extend inwardly from about the top of the body 20 to form a ledge or base. The upper portion of the neck 22 includes an annular raised member 50 having an angled front wall 52 and a bottom wall 54. The bottom wall 54 and the neck 22 form a recessed area 56.

The top of the container 10 includes a circular opening 60 having an inner diameter D^I to provide access to the interior of the container 10. The top of the neck 22 has a thickness that defines an outer diameter D^O.

The inner cap 14 is sized and shaped to fit over the opening 60 and top of the container 10. The inner cap 14 includes a top 70 and a plurality of claw members 74 extending downwardly from the top 70. The claw members 74 are spaced about the periphery of the top 70 and each includes a main body 76 and a leg member 78 angled inwardly from the bottom of the main body 78. In the center of the top is an area that defines a push button 80 that permits the center area to be pushed downwardly to raise the outer portions of the top 70 and thus raise and rotate the claw members 74. The inner cap 14 is made of a material that allow it to be moved. In one embodiment, the inner cap 14 may be made out of aluminum. A cork disc 82 may be sized and shaped to fit within the opening 60 of the receptable 12 to protect the contents contained within the interior of the receptacle 12 from moisture or other contaminants. The cork disc 82 may be attached to the bottom of the inner cap 14 using adhesives or other known means. Referring to FIG. 5, the center portion of the cork disc 82 is not attached to the bottom of the inner cap 14 to allow the central area or push button 80 to move up and down to engage and disengage the angled leg members 78 from within the recessed area 56.

The outer cap 16 includes a top 90 and a side wall 92 extending downwardly from the outer edge of the top 90 to define an interior cavity that is sized to fit over the inner cap 14 and the neck 22 of the container 10. The inside of the side wall 92 includes threading 94 that corresponds to the threading 30 of the neck to allow the outer cap 16 to be rotatably connected to the receptacle 12. In one embodiment, the outer cap is made of tinplate. While a continuous threading or raised surface is shown on the neck and inside of the outer cap, it is appreciated that others types of threading may be used including those associated with a lug cap, wherein threading or raised surfaces may be partial or non-continuous around the circumference of the neck and inside of the outer cap, thereby allowing the outer cap to be engaged or disengaged from the corresponding threading on the neck through a partial turn.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 5, the side wall 92 may be sized to align with the ledge 40 of the receptacle 12 to create an aesthetic appearance and inhibit moisture and other contaminants from getting therewithin during use. While a circular outer cap is shown and disclosed, it is appreciated that it may be of a variety of shapes and sizes to correspond with the shapes and sizes of the receptacle or for aesthetic purposes. It is also appreciated that the outer cap may include a child resistant feature to provide additional security.

In operation, contents may be placed within the interior of the receptacle 12 through the opening 60. Once the desired contents are placed within the receptacle 12, the inner cap 14 may be placed over the top of the opening 60 and top of the neck 22. The angled leg members or ends 78 of the claw members 74 engage the angled front wall 54 of the annular raised member 50 to bias the leg members 78 outwardly. Once the inner cap 14 is in place over the top of the receptacle 12, the claw members 74 may be pinched or squeezed to move them inwardly so that at least a portion of the angled ends 78 is positioned under the bottom wall 54 of the annular raised member 50 and within the recessed area 56 to prevent the inner cap 14 from being lifted off of the receptable 12. It is further appreciated that the inner cap 14 may be made of a resilient material such that the angled leg members 78 may be automatically biased into the engaged position once they pass over the angled front wall 54. The outer cap 16 may then be placed over the top 70 of the inner cap 14 and neck and rotated clockwise so that the corresponding threading 30, 94 align to allow the outer cap 16 to be secured over receptacle 12. The outer cap 16 may be rotated until it engages the ledge 40 of the receptacle 12.

To open the container 10, the outer cap 16 is rotated in a counterclockwise direction to allow the threading 94 of the outer cap 16 to move within the threading 30 of the neck 22 until the outer cap 16 may be removed. Thereafter, the push button 80 of the inner cap 14 may be depressed to disengage the angled leg portions 78 from within the recessed area 56 and allow the inner cap 14 to be removed to provide access to the contents of the container 10.

It will be understood that modifications and variations may be effected without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. It will be appreciated that the present disclosure is intended as an exemplification of the invention and is not intended to limit the invention to the specific embodiment illustrated and described. The disclosure is intended to cover, by the appended claims, all such modifications as fall within the scope of the claims.