Safety closure

Claim 2

A closure for fastening to containers, comprising: an outer cap having a circular top end wall and a cylindrically shaped skirt depending from the outer edge of said top end wall, an inner cap having a top end wall and a depending skirt joined to the outer edge of said end wall, said outer cap overlying said inner cap and being concentric therewith, container fastening means on the skirt of the inner cap for releasably fastening on a portion of a container, radially extending teeth on the upper surface of the top end wall of the inner cap, radially extending teeth on the inner surface of the top end wall of the outer cap, vertically disposed ratchet teeth on the inner wall of said outer cap skirt, vertically disposed ratchet teeth on the outer wall of said inner cap skirt, said vertically disposed ratchet teeth on said respective caps abutting when the outer cap is turned in an application direction to rotate the two caps together and cause said container fastening means to fasten said inner cap onto said container, said ratchet teeth of said outer cap sliding over said vertically disposed ratchet teeth on said inner cap when said outer cap is turned in the removal direction, a central portion on said inner wall of said outer cap, a central portion on said inner cap engaging said centraL portion of said outer cap and spacing in a vertical direction said radially extending teeth of said caps from each other, a downward force on said outer cap engaging said radially extending teeth on said inner and outer caps so that a simultaneously applied torque on the outer cap in the removal direction will act through said radially and horizontally extending teeth to turn said inner cap to release the same from the container, said skirt of said outer cap having reduced cross-sectional thickness portions adjacent said ratchet teeth on the outer cap for flexing outwardly with ratcheting of said ratchet teeth on said outer cap past the ratchet teeth on said inner cap to reduce the friction and torque therebetween to assure that said inner cap remains stationary, the outer surface of said portions having at least two spaced apart vertically disposed ribs integrally formed therein and presenting a generally continuous outer circular working face upon which closure applying apparatus can contact during application of the closure to the container.

Claim 3

A closure as defined in claim 1 wherein each of two of said vertically disposed ribs is substantially equally spaced from an outer edge of said recessed areas.

Claim 4

A closure as defined in claim 1 wherein each of said ratchet teeth on said outer cap comprises a radially inwardly and laterally disposed inclined portion extending from the inner wall thereof to a ratchet tooth abutment wall which is generally perpendicular to said inclined portion, said ribs located on the outer surface of said skirt, and minimum cross-sectional thickness for the outer skirt wall is located circumferentially between said ribs.

Claim 5

A closure for fastening to containers and adapted to be applied to the containers using automatic application apparatus, comprising: an outer cap having a top end wall and a skirt depending from on outer edge of said top end wall, the outer surface of said skirt being generally cylindrically shaped, an inner cap having a top end wall and a depending skirt joined to the outer edge of said end wall, said outer cap overlying said inner cap in concentric relation therewith, container fastening means on the skirt of the inner cap for releasably fastening on a portion of the container, radially and horizontally extending teeth on the upper surface of the top end wall of the inner cap extending in a first substantially horizontal plane, radially and horizontally extending teeth on the inner surface of the top end wall of the outer cap extending in a second substantially horizontal plane, vertically disposed ratchet teeth on the inner wall of said outer cap skirt, vertically disposed ratchet teeth on the outer wall of said inner cap skirt, said vertically disposed ratchet teeth on said respective caps abutting when the outer cap is turned in the application direction to rotate the two caps together and cause said closure to be applied to said container, said ratchet teeth of said outer cap sliding over said vertically disposed ratchet teeth of said inner cap if the outer cap is turned in the removal direction, a central portion on said end wall of a first one of said caps facing the end wall of the other of said caps, a central portion on said end wall of the other of said caps engaging said central portion of said first one of said caps and maintaining said first and second horizontal planes in spaced relation so that said radially and horizontally extending teeth on said inner and outer caps are out of contact with one another, a sufficient downward axial force on said outer cap enabling said horizontally and radially-extending teeth of said inner and outer caps to engage one another so that simultaneously applied torque on the outer cap in the removal direction will turn said inner cap to loosen the closure from said container, said vertically disposed ratchet teeth of said outer cap being radially inwardly inclined and terminating in an abutment wall for engaging a corresponding abutment wall of the ratchet teeth of said inner cap when said outer cap is rotated in the application direction, the outer surface of said outer cap skirt wall being recessed in the area opposite said ratchet teeth to provide increased outward flexibility thereof during ratcheting responsive to rotation of said outer cap in the removal direction, said recessed area containing two generally vertically disposed ribs having their outward surface generally coextensive with the generally circular curvature of said cylindrical skirt to present a generally uniform cylindrically shaped working face for the container applying apparatus, without appreciably diminishing said increased skirt flexibility in said recessed areas.

Claim 6

A closure for fastening to containers and adapted to be applied to the containers using automatic application apparatus, comprising: an outer cap having a top end wall and a skirt depending from on outer edge of said top end wall, the outer surface of said skirt being generally cylindrically shaped, an inner cap having a top end wall and a depending skirt joined to the outer edge of said end wall, said outer cap overlying said inner cap in concentric relation therewith, container fastening means on the skirt of the inner cap for releasably fastening on a portion of the container, radially and horizontally extending teeth on the upper surface of the top end wall of the inner cap extending in a first substantially horizontal plane, radially and horizontally extending teeth on the inner surface of the top end wall of the outer cap extending in a second substantially horizontal plane, vertically disposed ratchet teeth on the inner wall of said outer cap skirt, vertically disposed ratchet teeth on the outer wall of said inner cap skirt, said vertically disposed ratchet teeth on said respective caps abutting when the outer cap is turned in the application direction to rotate the two caps together and cause said closure to be applied to said container, said ratchet teeth of said outer cap sliding over said vertically disposed ratchet teeth of said inner cap if the outer cap is turned in the removal direction, a central portion on said end wall of a first one of said caps facing the end wall of the other of said caps, a central portion on said end wall of the other of said caps engaging said central portion of said first one of said caps and maintaining said first and second horizontal planes in spaced relation so that said radially and horizontally extending teeth on said inner and outer caps are out of contact with one another, a sufficient downward axial force on said outer cap enabling said horizontally and radially-extending teeth of said inner and outer caps to engage one another so that simultaneously applied torque on the outer cap in the removal direction will turn said inner cap to loosen the closure from said container, said vertically disposed ratchet teeth of said outer cap being radially inwardly inclined and terminating in an abutment wall for engaging a corresponding abutment wall of the ratchet teeth of said inner cap when said outer cap is rotated in the application direction, the outer surface of said outer cap skirt wall being recessed in the area opposite said ratchet teeth to provide increased outward flexibility thereof during ratcheting responsive to rotation of said outer cap in the removal direction, said recessed area containing two generally vertically disposed ribs having their outward surface generally coextensive with the generally circular curvature of said cylindrical skirt to present a generally uniform cylindrically shaped working face for the container applying apparatus, without appreciably diminishing said increased skirt flexibility in said recessed areas.

Claim 7

A closure as defined in claim 4 wherein the outer surface of said outer cap skirt contains a plurality of vertically disposed ribs located circumferentially about said cap and in which are located within said recessed areas adjacent said two ribs.

Claim 8

A closure as defined in claim 4 wherein said two ribs in said recessed area are generally equally spaced between the outer edges of said recessed areas, the abutment wall of each of said ratchet teeth is located between said ribs, the thickness of said skirt wall being at its minimum immediately in front of each of said abutment walls.