Patent US3850324A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US3850324A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Threaded combination lock safety cap
Assignee: Individual
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Filing: 1973-11-29
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Granted: 1974-11-26
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Expires: 1993-11-29
Abstract
Abstract The embodiment of the invention disclosed herein is directed to a threaded combination lock safety cap for containers and the like that are particularly designated for receiving materials, such as drugs or chemicals, which are detrimental to human life such that it is essential that such drugs and chemicals be prevented from getting into the hands of small children not realizing the potency of the same. The threaded combination lock safety cap is of a particular arrangement as to allow only the particular person knowing the arrangement or combination of the components of the safety cap to open the container which utilizes such cap. The container which receives the locking cap of this invention includes a neck portion formed on the container to function as an access opening for filling and removing material from the container. The neck portion is partially threaded starting at its outermost rim with a spiral screw type thread extending part way down the neck portion, the threaded portion being in the form of a spiral ridge disposed about the neck circumference adjacent the outermost neck edge. A closure assembly is fashioned to fit over the neck portion and includes a plurality of rotatable lock rings held in position between a cap portion and a retaining ring disposed adjacent the edge of the cap with the locking rings being freely rotatable within the cap. Each of the locking rings is located radially inwardly of an integral peripheral depending flange portion associated with the cap and projecting circumferally downwardly from the top surface of the cap in a manner to surround the neck portion of the container, with each locking ring including a radially outwardly directed tab which fits through a slot formed in the flange portion for access exteriorly of the flange portion. When all of the radially outwardly directed tab portions of the locking rings are placed in alignment, or placed in predetermined locations with respect to indicia formed about the flange portion of the cap, a corresponding spiral thread formed interiorly of each of the individual locking rings are aligned and adapted to be placed in threaded registration with the thread on the container neck portion to allow the caps to be unthreaded from the neck portion and removed therefrom to provide access to the container. When such threads of the locking rings are misaligned then the cap is locked onto the neck portion and cannot be removed therefrom until such threads are aligned by alignment of the tab portions.
Inventors
- 👤 K Meyer
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-26 18:53
CPC Classifications
B; B65; B65D; B65D55/00; B65D55/02; B65D55/14; B65D55/145
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 7
Claim 1
Independent Claim
529 words
A container closure structure and container used in conjunction therewith, comprising: a hollow container for receiving a given quantity of material to be restricted from use by small children; a neck portion formed on said container to function as an access opening for filling said container and for removing said material therethrough, said neck portion having cylindrical side walls terminating at a mouth edge of said neck portion; a spiral screw thread disposed about said topmost portion of said neck portion and extending from said mouth edge at least substantially one complete time spirally about the circumference of said neck portion, said spiral screw thread having an initiating point adjacent said mouth edge and a terminating point spaced downwardly from said mouth edge; a closure assembly fashioned to firmly fit said neck portion to seal the container and prevent said material from being removed from said container, said closure assembly comprising: a cap to fit over said neck portion and form a seal about the mouth edge of said neck portion; an integral peripheral circumferally depending flange portion associated with the circumferal edges of said cap and depending downwardly therefrom, said flange portions having a dimension and configuration to freely fit over said neck portion, said flange portion having a terminal edge about the bottom thereof; said cap portion having formed interiorly thereof a spiral projecting ridge adapted to engage said threaded neck portion to retain said neck portion mouth edge in sealing engagement with said cap undersurface; an annular recess formed interior of said flange portion and opening out of said terminal edge thereof and defining a top annular shoulder portion thereabout; a retaining ring formed about the inner peripheral terminal edge portion of said flange portion and projecting inwardly thereof a distance to underlie said tOp shoulder portion, the top surface of said retaining means defining a bottom shoulder portion in confronting relationship with said top shoulder portion; a plurality of substantially flat circular locking rings axially displaced and aligned with each other and disposed for free rotative movement in said annular recess intermediate said top and bottom shoulder portions; a spiral screw formed integrally with an interior surface of each of said locking rings, said locking rings movable about their axes between positions where said grooves are misaligned so as to prevent threaded engagement of said neck portion screw thread therewith, and to a position where said grooves are in alignment to define a continuous spiral groove therethrough adapted to receive said neck portion spiral thread therein in a manner to permit said closure assembly to be unthreaded from said neck portion to provide access to said contents of said container; and positioning tab means associated with each of said locking rings to enable manual relative movement of said locking means with respect to said retaining means and said cap means to allow for alignment of said spiral grooves in accord with preselected positioning of said positioning means exteriorly of said flange portion for easy application and removal of said closure assembly from said neck portion and whereby misalignment of said spiral grooves prevents inadvertent and unauthorized removal of said closure assembly from said neck portion.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
529 words
A container closure structure and container used in conjunction therewith, comprising: a hollow container for receiving a given quantity of material to be restricted from use by small children; a neck portion formed on said container to function as an access opening for filling said container and for removing said material therethrough, said neck portion having cylindrical side walls terminating at a mouth edge of said neck portion; a spiral screw thread disposed about said topmost portion of said neck portion and extending from said mouth edge at least substantially one complete time spirally about the circumference of said neck portion, said spiral screw thread having an initiating point adjacent said mouth edge and a terminating point spaced downwardly from said mouth edge; a closure assembly fashioned to firmly fit said neck portion to seal the container and prevent said material from being removed from said container, said closure assembly comprising: a cap to fit over said neck portion and form a seal about the mouth edge of said neck portion; an integral peripheral circumferally depending flange portion associated with the circumferal edges of said cap and depending downwardly therefrom, said flange portions having a dimension and configuration to freely fit over said neck portion, said flange portion having a terminal edge about the bottom thereof; said cap portion having formed interiorly thereof a spiral projecting ridge adapted to engage said threaded neck portion to retain said neck portion mouth edge in sealing engagement with said cap undersurface; an annular recess formed interior of said flange portion and opening out of said terminal edge thereof and defining a top annular shoulder portion thereabout; a retaining ring formed about the inner peripheral terminal edge portion of said flange portion and projecting inwardly thereof a distance to underlie said tOp shoulder portion, the top surface of said retaining means defining a bottom shoulder portion in confronting relationship with said top shoulder portion; a plurality of substantially flat circular locking rings axially displaced and aligned with each other and disposed for free rotative movement in said annular recess intermediate said top and bottom shoulder portions; a spiral screw formed integrally with an interior surface of each of said locking rings, said locking rings movable about their axes between positions where said grooves are misaligned so as to prevent threaded engagement of said neck portion screw thread therewith, and to a position where said grooves are in alignment to define a continuous spiral groove therethrough adapted to receive said neck portion spiral thread therein in a manner to permit said closure assembly to be unthreaded from said neck portion to provide access to said contents of said container; and positioning tab means associated with each of said locking rings to enable manual relative movement of said locking means with respect to said retaining means and said cap means to allow for alignment of said spiral grooves in accord with preselected positioning of said positioning means exteriorly of said flange portion for easy application and removal of said closure assembly from said neck portion and whereby misalignment of said spiral grooves prevents inadvertent and unauthorized removal of said closure assembly from said neck portion.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
142 words
The container closure structure and container as set forth in claim 1 further comprising a circumferally extending slot defined in said flange portion and extending therethrough, said slot having an arcuate extent about the periphery of said flange portion to limit the arcuate travel of said positioning means associated with said plurality of locking ring means; and said positioning means including separate radially outwardly directed tab portions affixed to each of said locking rings and projecting radially outwardly through said slot, said tab portions adapted to be oriented relative to one another to provide a visual indication exterior of said closure structure as to the interior placement of said spiral grooves in each of said locking rings whereby proper positioning of said tab portions provides for the alignment of said spiral grooves to permit removal of the closure assembly from said container.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
149 words
The container closure structure and container as set forth in claim 2 further comprising indicia bearing portions associated with said slot disposed about the periphery of said flange portion so as to enable the user of said container closure structure and container to visually align said radially outwardly directed tab portions of said locking ring means, and then position said aligned radially outwardly directed tab portions in registry with respective ones of said indicia bearing means so as to provide alignment of the said spiral grooves of said locking rings upon orienting of the tab portions in accord with a predetermined locking combination in a manner to facilitate removal of said closure structure from said neck portion when said tabs are disposed in proper orientation for said predetermined combination to permit neck portion thread to be unthreaded through aligned spiral grooves to remove the closure assembly from the container.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
77 words
The container closure structure and container as set forth in claim 3 wherein said retainer ring is provided with an outwardly extending ridge disposed annularly about the circumference thereof, and wherein said interior surface of said recess adjacent said flange portion terminal edge is provided with an annular groove thereabout of a size and configuration adapted to receive said annular projection whereby said retainer ring may be snap fitted into said flange portion to be retained therein.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
89 words
The container closure structure and container as set forth in claim 4 further comprising a seal member formed integrally with said cap and depending downwardly from the undersurface thereof in a position to engage the neck portion of said container, said seal member being in the form of a truncated conical member with conical side walls diverging downwardly from said cap undersurface and terminating at a bottom edge adapted to frictionally engage the interior wall surfaces of said neck portion, the sealing member being manufactured of a resilient material.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
121 words
The container closure structure and container as set forth in claim 5 further comprising at least three separate locking rings being provided in vertically aligned adjacent juxtaposition, said locking rings being rotatably movable relative to each other, each of said locking rings provided with at least six separate possible angular positions for said positioning tab portion thereof; and wherein said sealing member extends downwardly from said cap undersurface a depth approximately equal to the thickness of at least the top two locking ring members whereby should said neck portion spiral thread be engaged in the top two locking rings and not in the last locking ring said sealing member will still retain the contents of said container in a sealed manner.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
US3407954A
Cited
US3684117A
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1977-11-25 | 1978-05-27 | 1978-11-26 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1981-11-25 | 1982-05-27 | 1982-11-26 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1985-11-25 | 1986-05-27 | 1986-11-26 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |