Safety closure for containers

Claim 2

A locking ring for container closures comprising a body for fitting on the neck of a container, mounting means on said body for preventing relative rotation between said body and the container, a tab connected to and extending away from body, at least one locking tooth on said tab for engagement with locking elements on the closure, and a cut away portion between adjacent portions of said tab and said body to comprise a hinged connection of said tab to said body whereby said tooth may be moved up and down into and out of engagement with the locking elements on the closures, said body including a rim portion, said rim portion being made of a stiff non-pliable material which is maintained stationary when affixed to the neck of the container, said rim being less than a full circle having spaced ends disposed near each other, said tab being integral and co-planar with said rim, and said tab being disposed between said open ends of said rim and said tab whereby said rim and tab together extend substantially 360* around the container neck.

Claim 3

A locking ring as set forth in claim 1 wherein a depending skirt is connected at the periphery of said rim, a plurality of serrations on the inner surface of said skirt, and said serrations comprising said mounting means.

Claim 4

A locking ring as set forth in claim 2 wherein said tab includes an upstanding lug for accommodating the finger of a user.

Claim 5

A locking ring as set forth in claim 2 wherein said tab is disposed within an integral offset extension of said rim.

Claim 6

A locking ring for container closures comprising a body for fitting on the neck of a container, mounting means on said body for preventing relative rotation between said body and the container, a tab connected to and extending away from body, at least one locking tooth on said tab for engagement with locking elements on the closure, a cut away portion between adjacent portions of said tab and said body to comprise a hinged connection of said tab to said body whereby said tooth may be moved up and down into and out of engagement with the locking elements on the closures, said body including a substantially annular rim, a depending skirt connected at the periphery of said rim, a plurality of serrations on the inner surface of said skirt, said serrations comprising said mounting means, said tab being disposed within an integral offset extension of said rim, said cut away portion including a pair of slits on opposite sides of said tab, and said tab being connected to said offset extension at only one end of said tab.

Claim 7

A locking ring for container closures comprising a body for fitting on the neck of a container, mounting means on said body for preventing relative rotation between said body and the container, a tab connected to and extending away from body, at least one locking tooth on said tab for engagement with locking elements on the closure, a cut away portion between adjacent portions of said tab and said body to comprise a hinged connection of said tab to said body whereby said tooth may be moved up and down into and out of engagement with the locking elements on the closures, said body including a substantially annular rim, a depending skirt connected at the periphery of said rim, a plurality of serrations on the inner surface of said skirt, said serrations comprising said mounting means, said tab being disposed within an integral offset extension of said rim, said cut away portion including a pair of slits on opposite sides of said tab, and said tab being connected to said offset extension at only one end of said tab.

Claim 8

A locking ring for container closures comprising a body for fitting on the neck of a container, mounting means on said body for preventing relative rotation between said body and the container, a tab connected to and extending away from body, at least one locking tooth on said tab for engagement with locking elements on the closure, a cut away portion between adjacent portions of said tab and said body to comprise a hinged connection of said tab to said body whereby said tooth may be moved up and down into and out of engagement with the locking elements on the closures, said body including a substantially annular rim, a depending skirt connected at the periphery of said rim, a plurality of serrations on the inner surface of said skirt, said serrations comprising said mounting means, said tab being disposed within an integral offset extension of said rim, said cut away portion including a pair of slits on adjacent sides of said tab, and said tab being connected to said offset at only one end of said tab. 7.

Claim 9

A locking ring for container closures comprising a body for fitting on the neck of a container, mounting means on said body for preventing relative rotation between said body and the container, a tab connected to and extending away from body, at least one locking tooth on said tab for engagement with locking elements on the closure, a cut away portion between adjacent portions of said tab and said body to comprise a hinged connection of said tab to said body whereby said tooth may be moved up and down into and out of engagement with the locking elements on the closures, said body including a substantially annular rim, a depending skirt connected at the periphery of said rim, a plurality of serrations on the inner surface of said skirt, said serrations comprising said mounting means, said tab being disposed within an integral offset extension of said rim, said cut away portion including a pair of slits on adjacent sides of said tab, and said tab being connected to said offset at only one end of said tab. 7.

Claim 10

A locking ring as set forth in claim 1 including at least one tamperproof strip connected across said cut away portion.

Claim 11

A locking ring for container closures comprising a body for fitting on the neck of a container, mounting means on said body for preventing relative rotation between said body and the container, a tab connected to and extending away from body, at least one locking tooth on said tab for engagement with locking elements on the closure, a cut away portion between adjacent portions of said tab and said body to comprise a hinged connection of said tab to said body whereby said tooth may be moved up and down into and out of engagement with the locking elements on the closures, said tab being an integral offset extension of said body terminating in a location radially outwardly displaced from said body, said cutaway portion being a slit along one side of said tab, and said tab being connected to said body at one end of said tab.

Claim 12

A locking ring for container closures comprising a body for fitting on the neck of a container, mounting means on said body for preventing relative rotation between said body and the container, a tab connected to and extending away from body, at least one locking tooth on said tab for engagement with locking elements on the closure, a cut away portion between adjacent portions of said tab and said body to comprise a hinged connection of said tab to said body whereby said tooth may be moved up and down into and out of engagement with the locking elements on the closures, said tab being an integral offset extension of said body terminating in a location radially outwardly displaced from said body, said cutaway portion being a slit along one side of said tab, and said tab being connected to said body at one end of said tab.

Claim 13

A locking ring as set forth in claim 2 wherein said serrations being around substantially the entire inner surface of said skirt.

Claim 14

A locking ring as set forth in claim 1 in combination therewith, a closure, said closure being of generally cylindrical shape with a top wall, the lower edge of said having ratchet teeth therearound to comprise said locking elements, and said serrations being on the inner surface of a closure skirt which shields said ratchet teeth and said locking tooth.

Claim 15

The combination of claim 10 wherein said closure skirt is of about the same diameter as said ring body, each of said ratchet teeth including an inclined edge and a substantially vertical edge, and said locking tooth having a corresponding inclined edge and a substantially vertical edge.

Claim 16

The combination of claim 11, in further combination therewith, a container having a neck, coupling means on said neck and said closure, a plurality of mounting teeth on said container, said ring body include a plurality of peripheral serrations engaged with said mounting teeth, and said peripheral serrations being said mounting means.

Claim 17

A locking ring as set forth in claim 1 including stop mEans adjacent said hinged tab.

Claim 18

A locking ring as set forth in claim 1 in combination therewith, a container having a neck, and said body of said ring being integral with said container neck to comprise said mounting means therefor.

Claim 19

In combination therewith, a container having a neck from which the contents of the container may be discharged, a closure for said container neck, said closure having a downwardly extending rim for engaging said container, first ratchet-pawl means fixedly mounted on said container, second ratchet-pawl means mounted on said rim of said closure for locking engagement with said first ratchet-pawl means, tab means mounted on one of said container and said closure, one of said ratchet-pawl means being incorporated on said tab means, a hinged connection between said tab means and said one of said container and said closure for permitting said tab means to rotate in a generally vertical direction to control the engagement and disengagement of said first and said second ratchet-pawl means, said tab means being exposed to permit ready manipulation of said hinged connection by the user, engagable threaded means being on said neck and said closure, upstanding finger accommodating means on said tab means, said finger accommodating means including a concave generally vertical surface disposed laterally beyond said rim of said closure, and said closure and tab means being made of a plastic material.

Claim 20

In combination therewith, a container having a neck from which the contents of the container may be discharged, a closure for said container neck, said closure having a downwardly extending rim for engaging said container, first ratchet-pawl means fixedly mounted on said container, second ratchet-pawl means mounted on said rim of said closure for locking engagement with said first ratchet-pawl means, tab means mounted on one of said container and said closure, one of said ratchet-pawl means being incorporated on said tab means, a hinged connection between said tab means and said one of said container and said closure for permitting said tab means to rotate in a generally vertical direction to control the engagement and disengagement of said first and said second ratchet-pawl means, said tab means being exposed to permit ready manipulation of said hinged connection by the user, engagable threaded means being on said neck and said closure, upstanding finger accommodating means on said tab means, said finger accommodating means including a concave generally vertical surface disposed laterally beyond said rim of said closure, and said closure and tab means being made of a plastic material.