Container and safety closure therefor

Claim 2

Securing means for a container having an annular wall defining an opening into the container and a closure having an annular wall, with a confronting surface of each wall adapted for rotatable and translatable securing movement with respect to each other, comprising: a helical guide track in the form of a screw thread on the first one of the confronting surfaces; a lug on the second confronting surface formed to engage said guide track and move therealong in a helical path to advance the closure toward sealing position with respect to the container; a safety locking track located axially beyond said guide track; a passageway for said lug extending generally axially between the guide track and an intermediate point of the locking track for axial translation of the lug to the locking track for further rotation to a safety locking position; and a detent in said passageway; said lug having an axially directed recess formed therein conforming to the shape of said detent to slide over the detent and permit the lug to pass selectively to the locking track or the guide track.

Claim 3

Securing means as claimed in claim 1; said guide track and locking track being in the form of beads upstanding from the surface of the annular wall.

Claim 4

Securing means as claimed in claim 1; said guide track and locking track being in the form of grooves recessed into the annular wall.

Claim 5

Securing means as claimed in claim 3; at least one portion of the locking track groove from the detent location to the end of the groove advancing helically generally parallel to the guide track to cause the closure to move to sealing position in response to movement of the lug to said end; a section of said portion adjacent to the detent being recessed toward the guide track to a position in which the detent interferes with further rotational movement of the lug and requires reverse translation of the lug before rotation thereof to a position in registry with the detent for axial unlocking movement.

Claim 6

Securing means as claimed in claim 3; the detent extending axially beyond the wall of the locking track groove adjacent to the guide track to block movement of the lug along said wall from end to end of the locking track groove and to require axial translation of the lug away from the guide track before rotation thereof to a position in registry with the detent for axial unlocking movement; said locking track groove being sufficiently wider than the lug to facilitate such translation.

Claim 7

Securing means as claimed in claim 1; and a second lug on said second confronting surface at the diametrically opposite side thereof and axially spaced therefrom; said second lug being adapted to engage a guide track to advance the closure toward sealing position together with the first lug to apply diametrically opposite parallel axial forces to the closure to insure accurate seating thereof.

Claim 8

Securing means for a container having an annular wall defining an opening into the container and a closure having an annular wall, with a confronting surface of each wall adapted for rotatable and translatable securing movement with respect to each other, comprising: a helical guide track in the form of a screw thread on the first one of the confronting surfaces; a first lug on the second confronting surface formed to engage said guide track and move therealong in a helical path to advance the closure toward sealing position with respect to the container; a safety locking track located axially beyond said guide track; a passageway for said lug extending generally axially between the guide track and an intermediate point of the locking track for axial translation of the lug to the locking track for further rotation to a safety locking position; said lug being selectively reversely movable to the guide track for release or for nonlocking sealing operation; a second lug on said second confronting surface at the diametrically opposite side thereof and axially spaced therefrom; and a second guide track on the first confronting surface; said second lug engaging said second guide track to advance the closure toward sealing position together with the first lug to apply diametrically opposite parallel axial forces to the closure to insure accurate seating thereof.

Claim 9

Securing means for a container having an annular wall defining an opening into the container and a closure having an annular wall, with a confronting surface of each wall adapted for rotatable and translatable securing movement with respect to each other, comprising: a helical guide track in the form of a screw thread on the first one of the confronting surfaces; a first lug on the second confronting surface formed to engage said guide track and move therealong in a helical path to advance the closure toward sealing position with respect to the container; a safety locking track located axially beyond said guide track; a passageway for said lug extending generally axially between the guide track and an intermediate point of the locking track for axial translation of the lug to the locking track for further rotation to a safety locking position; said lug being selectively reversely movable to the guide track for release or for nonlocking sealing operation; a second lug on said second confronting surface at the diametrically opposite side thereof and axially spaced therefrom; and a second guide track on the first confronting surface; said second lug engaging said second guide track to advance the closure toward sealing position together with the first lug to apply diametrically opposite parallel axial forces to the closure to insure accurate seating thereof.

Claim 10

Securing means as claimed in claim 7; and a second locking track and second passageway in conjunction with the second guide track and arranged in the same relation as the first said guide track, locking track, and passageway; the second lug coacting with said second tracks and passageway in the same manner to produce a dual locking function.

Claim 11

Securing means as claimed in claim 8; said closure comprising a cap having a closed end and surrounding the annular wall of said container; said annular wall including a first, end section of predetermined diameter and a second, inner section of larger diameter; the first guide track being on the first section and the second guide track being on the second section; the first lug engaging the first guide track and the second lug engaging the second guide track.