Container and safety closure therefor

Claim 2

In combination, a container and a removable closure therefor, said container having a circular neck portion defining an access opening, a continuous annular rib encircling said neck, the upper surface of said rib being sloped to provide a camming surface and the lower surface of said rib having at least a portion thereof lying in a substantially radial plane to provide a locking surface, said closure comprising an end wall portion and a generally cylindrical skirt extending marginally therefrom, said skirt having a pair of arcuate bead formations of rounded cross section disposed diametrically opposite to each other and lying in a common radial plane, one of said bead formations being of substantially shorter arcuate extent than the other whereby said shorter bead comprises a latch element and the longer bead comprises a retaining element, said cap being sufficiently resilient to permit said arcuate bead formations to snap over said annular rib for applying and removing said cap, said closure having a tab formation extending radially outwardly from the lower edge of said skirt, an annular flange on said container disposed beneath said closure and extending radially outwardly beyond said tab and having a notch therein for permitting lifting movement against said tab when the latter is aligned with said notch, the interior diameter of the said closure being larger than the external diameter of said annular rib of the container neck to provide manufacturing tolerance between the interior surface of said closure and the exterior surface of said rib, and protuberance means at the exterior surface of said rib to engage the other of said surfaces to prevent radial movement of said closure with respect to the container due to said tolerance, said protuberance means being disposed generally diametrically opposite to the initial release point of the closure.

Claim 3

In combination, a container and a removable closure therefor, said container having a circular neck portion defining an access opening, a continuous annular rib encircling said neck, the upper surface of said rib being sloped to provide a camming surface and the lower surface of said rib having at least a portion thereof lying in a substantially radial plane to provide a locking surface, said closure comprising an end wall portion and a generally cylindrical skirt extending marginally therefrom, said skirt having a pair of arcuate bead formations of rounded cross section disposed diametrically opposite to each other and lying in a common radial plane, one of said bead formations being of substantially shorter arcuate extent than the other whereby said shorter bead comprises a latch element and the longer bead comprises a retaining element, said cap being sufficiently resilient to permit said arcuate bead formations to snap over said annular rib for applying and removing said cap, said closure having a tab formation extending radially outwardly from the lower edge of said skirt, an annular flange on said container disposed beneath said closure and extending radially outwardly beyond said tab and having a notch therein for permitting lifting movement against said tab when the latter is aligned with said notch, the interior diameter of the said closure being larger than the external diameter of said annular rib of the container neck to provide manufacturing tolerance between the interior surface of said closure and the exterior surface of said rib, and protuberance means at the exterior surface of said rib to engage the other of said surfaces to prevent radial movement of said closure with respect to the container due to said tolerance, said continuous annular rib having a notch therein less than the full radial depth thereof whereby the notched portion normally retains the closure by engagement with its bead formations in any angular position of the closure with respect to the container but whereby the shorter bead formation may be flexed over said notched rib in a closure removal operation, and said protuberance means being disposed generally diametrically opposite to the notch in said annular flange of the container.

Claim 4

In combination, a container and a removable closure therefor, said container having a circular neck portion defining an access opening, a continuous annular rib encircling said neck, the upper surface of said rib being sloped to provide a camming surface and the lower surface of said rib having at least a portion thereof lying in a substantially radial plane to provide a locking surface, said closure comprising an end wall portion and a generally cylindrical skirt extending marginally therefrom, said skirt having a pair of arcuate bead formations of rounded cross section disposed diametrically opposite to each other and lying in a common radial plane, one of said bead formations being of substantially shorter arcuate extent than the other whereby said shorter bead comprises a latch element and the longer bead comprises a retaining element, said cap being sufficiently resilient to permit said arcuate bead formations to snap over said annular rib for applying and removing said cap, said closure having a tab formation extending radially outwardly from the lower edge of said skirt, an annular flange on said container disposed beneath said closure and extending radially outwardly beyond said tab and having a notch therein for permitting lifting movement against said tab when the latter is aligned with said notch, the interior diameter of the said closure being larger than the external diameter of said annular rib of the container neck to provide manufacturing tolerance between the interior surface of said closure and the exterior surface of said rib, and protuberance means at the exterior surface of said rib to engage the other of said surfaces to prevent radial movement of said closure with respect to the container due to said tolerance, said continuous annular rib having a notch therein less than the full radial depth thereof whereby the notched portion normally retains the closure by engagement with its bead formations in any angular position of the closure with respect to the container but whereby the shorter bead formation may be flexed over said notched rib in a closure removal operation, and said protuberance means being disposed generally diametrically opposite to the notch in said annular flange of the container.