Safety cap

Claim 2

A container closure device including an inner inverted cupshaped internally threaded closure member for application to a complementary externally threaded container, an outer inverted cup-shaped member adjacently superimposing said inner member and normally freely rotatable with respect thereto, means securing said members against unauthorized axial separation, the upper wall of said outer cuplike member being sufficiently yieldable to permit axial deflection thereof towards the inner member in response to the manual application of external pressure, and interlocking protuberance means arranged to releasably couple said members upon deflection of said outer member, said protuberance means requiring a given extent of deflection of said upper wall to establish interlocking for one direction of rotation and a greater extent of deflection to establish interlocking for the opposite direction of rotation of the container closure.

Claim 3

A container closure device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the protuberance means includes cooperatively disposed protuberances on the upper surface of the inner cup-shaped member and the adjacent under surface of the outer cup-shaped member.

Claim 4

A container closure device as set forth in claim 2, wherein the axial extent of the protuberances associated with the outer member when viewed from a point radially externally of said member is greater on the left side thereof, than the right side and the axial extent of the protuberances associated the inner member when similarly viewed in greater on the right side thereof than the left side.

Claim 5

A contaIner closure device as set forth in claim 2, wherein the said protuberances terminate in surfaces which are inclined with respect to a horizontal plane.

Claim 6

A container closure device as set forth in claim 4, wherein said surface extremities are inclined upwardly from left to right when viewed from a point radially externally of the side walls of said cup-shaped members.

Claim 7

A container closure device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the protuberance means includes cooperative, annularly disposed circumferentially spaced protuberances projecting axially from the upper wall sections of said inner and outer cup-shaped members are so shaped as to require greater axial deflection of the upper wall of the outer cup-shaped member to couple said protuberances for unscrewing than for tightening.

Claim 8

A container closure device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the protuberance means includes protuberances projecting downwardly from the deflectable portion of the upper wall of the outer cup-shaped member and cooperative protuberance means associated with the adjacent surface of the upper wall of the inner cup-shaped member, said protuberance means being so disposed as to couple said inner and outer cup-shaped members for either loosening or tightening with respect to a container.

Claim 9

A container closure device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the protuberance means includes protuberances extending upwardly from the upper wall of the inner cup-shaped member and cooperative protuberance means associated with the adjacent axially deflectable underside of the upper wall of the outer cup-shaped member.

Claim 10

A container closure device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the adjacent upper wall surfaces of the cup-shaped members are provided with inter-engaging, centrally located means for maintaining said members in concentric relation.

Claim 11

A container closure device including an inner inverted cup-shaped internally threaded closure member for application to a complementary externally threaded container, an outer inverted cup-shaped member adjacently superimposing said inner member and normally freely rotatable with respect thereto, means securing said members against unauthorized axial separation, the upper wall of said outer cuplike member being sufficiently yieldable to permit axial deflection thereof toward the inner member in response to the manual application of external pressure and protuberance means arranged to releasably couple said members upon deflection of said outer member, said protuberance means including annularly disposed, spaced protuberances extending downwardly from the underside of the yieldable wall of the outer cup-shaped member, cooperative annularly disposed spaced protuberances extending upwardly from the upper wall of the inner cup-shaped member, the extremities of said protuberances being so arranged as to require a predetermined degree of axial deflection of the upper yieldable wall to establish overlapping relation of cooperative protuberances whereby to permit rotation of said members as a unit in a tightening direction, and to require a greater degree of axial deflection to establish overlapping relation of cooperative protuberances to enable said members to be rotated as a unit in a loosening direction.

Claim 12

A container closure device including an inner inverted cup-shaped internally threaded closure member for application to a complementary externally threaded container, an outer inverted cup-shaped member adjacently superimposing said inner member and normally freely rotatable with respect thereto, means securing said members against unauthorized axial separation, the upper wall of said outer cuplike member being sufficiently yieldable to permit axial deflection thereof toward the inner member in response to the manual application of external pressure and protuberance means arranged to releasably couple said members upon deflection of said outer member, said protuberance means including annularly disposed, spaced protuberances extending downwardly from the underside of the yieldable wall of the outer cup-shaped member, cooperative annularly disposed spaced protuberances extending upwardly from the upper wall of the inner cup-shaped member, the extremities of said protuberances being so arranged as to require a predetermined degree of axial deflection of the upper yieldable wall to establish overlapping relation of cooperative protuberances whereby to permit rotation of said members as a unit in a tightening direction, and to require a greater degree of axial deflection to establish overlapping relation of cooperative protuberances to enable said members to be rotated as a unit in a loosening direction.

Claim 13

A container closure device including an inner inverted cup-shaped internally threaded closure member for application to a complementary externally threaded container, an outer inverted cup-shaped member adjacently superimposing said inner member and normally freely rotatable with respect thereto, means securing said members against unauthorized axial separation, the upper wall of said outer cuplike member being sufficiently yieldable to permit axial deflection thereof towards the inner member in response to the manual application of external pressure, and interlocking means arranged to releasably couple said members upon deflection of said outer member, said protuberance means including circumferentially spaced protuberances projecting Downwardly from said upper wall and cooperatively disposed circumferentially spaced protuberances projecting upwardly from the upper wall of said inner section, the outer peripheral surfaces of the protuberances of one member adapted for engagement with the outer peripheral surfaces of complementary protuberances on the other member for rotation as a unit in one direction when the upper wall of the outer member occupies a given downwardly deflected position and for rotation as a unit in the opposite direction when said upper wall is deflected downwardly to a greater extent.

Claim 14

A container closure device including an inner inverted cup-shaped internally threaded closure member for application to a complementary externally threaded container, an outer inverted cup-shaped member adjacently superimposing said inner member and normally freely rotatable with respect thereto, means securing said members against unauthorized axial separation, the upper wall of said outer cuplike member being sufficiently yieldable to permit axial deflection thereof towards the inner member in response to the manual application of external pressure, and interlocking means arranged to releasably couple said members upon deflection of said outer member, said protuberance means including circumferentially spaced protuberances projecting Downwardly from said upper wall and cooperatively disposed circumferentially spaced protuberances projecting upwardly from the upper wall of said inner section, the outer peripheral surfaces of the protuberances of one member adapted for engagement with the outer peripheral surfaces of complementary protuberances on the other member for rotation as a unit in one direction when the upper wall of the outer member occupies a given downwardly deflected position and for rotation as a unit in the opposite direction when said upper wall is deflected downwardly to a greater extent.