US3706401A - Child-proof overcap for an aerosol can - Google Patents

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Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
  • B65D83/00—Containers or packages with special means for dispensing contents
  • B65D83/14—Containers for dispensing liquid or semi-liquid contents by internal gaseous pressure, i.e. aerosol containers comprising propellant
  • B65D83/40—Closure caps
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
  • B65D41/00—Caps, e.g. crown caps or crown seals, i.e. members having parts arranged for engagement with the external periphery of a neck or wall defining a pouring opening or discharge aperture; Protective cap-like covers for closure members, e.g. decorative covers of metal foil or paper
  • B65D41/02—Caps or cap-like covers without lines of weakness, tearing strips, tags, or like opening or removal devices
  • B65D41/04—Threaded or like caps or cap-like covers secured by rotation
  • B65D41/06—Threaded or like caps or cap-like covers secured by rotation with bayonet cams, i.e. removed by first pushing axially to disengage the cams and then rotating
• • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
  • Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
  • Y10S—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
  • Y10S220/00—Receptacles
  • Y10S220/915—Aerosol valve cap or protector

Definitions

• the cap has a resilient top from which the skirt depends and which is [56] Referenvcs C'ted deformed by engagement of the lugs and the lug UNITED STATES PATENTS .threads forbiasing the lugs into the thread recesses to f v restrain relative horizontal rotation of the cap and 3,460,708 8/1969 Vollers ..222/l82 X 2,782,958 2/1957 Horles 1 ..220/40 X 3,462,045 8/1969 Markowitz ..222/l82 X 4 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures PATENTEDHIEB 19 m2 INVENTOR: I PE TEE P EAEH.
• CHILD-PROOF OVERCAP FOR AN AEROSOL CAN BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Many household products such as insecticides, paint, cleansers, deodorants, disinfectants, and the like, are packaged in the aerosol pressurized cans and the inadvertent discharge of their valves is often'prevented by an overcap which snaps over the upper end of the can to cover the discharge valve. Many designs have been suggested in order to make the removal of the overcap dIfi ICUII or child-proof, so as to prevent a small child from discharging the contents of the can with injury to itself or damage to furniture, rugs and the like in the household.
• Aerosol cans such as the 'can.10 usually are also provided with an inverted cup-shaped overcap, such as that gen'erally indicated by the reference number 16, which comprises a substantially flat circular top 17, a downwardly extending outer skirt 18 and an inner retainer skirt 19. The lower edge of the outer skirt 18 extends downwardly into the groove.15.
• the inner skirt l9 frequently frictionally engages the seam 14 by which the valve 13 is connected to the breast portion 11.
• the inner skirt 19 constitutes one of a pair of cooperating annular elements; in this embodiment of the invention the other cooperating annular element being a resilient annulus 20 (see FIG.
• the skirt 19 and annulus have cooperating means for retaining the overcap 16 on the can 10 with sufficient force and resistance to removal to provide a substantially childproof closure for the can.
• the cooperating means comprise circumferentially spaced inwardly protruding lugs It is yet another object of the instant invention to provide a substantially -'child-proof overcap for an aerosol can so designed as to enable the overcap to be placed upon a standard aerosol can without the necessity for redesign and without difficulty in the assembly of the components.
• FIG. 1 is a fragmentary, vertical, sectional view, with parts broken away, of a standard aerosol can equipped with a child-proof overcap according to the invention
• FIG. 2 is a fragmentary, horizontal, sectional view taken along the line 2-2 of FIG. 1;
• FIG. 3 is a horizontal, sectional view taken along th line 3-3 of FIG. 1;
• FIG. 4 is a bottom view in perspective, with parts broken away, of an overcap embodying-the invention.
• FIG. 5 is a detailed view in a perspective of one of the two cooperating elements which comprise an overcap embodying the invention.
• FIG. 6 is a fragmentary, vertical, sectional view taken generally from the position indicated by the line 6-6 of FIG. 5 but showing the element of FIG. 5 in place on an aerosol can.
• a standard type aerosol can generally indicated by the reference number 10 in FIG. 1 has a breast portion 11 and an annular seam 12- by which the breast portion is attached to the body of .the can 10. At the top center of the breast portion 11 there is located a valve and dispensing nozzle 13 which is secured to the breast portion by an annular seam 14 (see also FIG. 6).
• the aerosol can 10 has an upwardly open groove 15 located 21 at the lower edge of the inner skirt l9 and a similar number of similarly spaced lug threads 22 integral with' and on the periphery of the annulus 20.
• the annulus 20 has an inwardly extending lip 23 and it is of such size that it snaps resiliently over the valve seam 14 as is most clearly shown in FIG. 6.
• the lug threads 22 are made functionally integral with the can 10.
• Each of the lug threads 22, in this case three, has a downwardly inclined surface 24 leading to an undercut recess 25 of circumferential extent slightly larger than the circumferential extent of one of the lugs 21 at the bottom edge of the inner skirt 19.
• Three spaces 26 between the lug threads 22 are of such circumferential extent that the three lugs 21 can be moved downwardly through the spaces 26 when the overcap 16 is first moved down onto the can 10..
• the overcap 16 is moved downwardly until the lower edge of its outer skirt 18 bottoms out in the groove 15. At this point, the lugs 21 are at a level slightly above the level of the tops of the lug receiving recesses 25.
• the user then rotates the overcap 16 engaging the lugs 21 with the downwardly extending undersurfaces 24 of the lug threads 22.
• the top 17 of the overcap 16 is resilient so that upon further rotation of the overcap 16, engagement of the lugs 21 with the surfaces 24' of the lug threads 22 pulls downwardly, deforming the top 17 as shown in dotted lines in FIG. 1 and, after further rotation of the overcap 16, the lugs 21 are snapped upwardly into the recesses 22.
• a child-proof overcap for an aerosol can having a cylindrical body, an upper end joined to said can body by an annular seam, a central discharge valve in said upper end and an annular valve retaining seam concentric with said valve, said overcap comprising in combination,
• an inverted cup-shaped cover enclosing said valve and having a top, an inner annular retainer skirt and an annular outer skirt, 7 a separate annular locking element mounted on and closely circumjacent said valve retaining seam and functionally integral with said can, cooperating annularly arranged groups of locking elements on said annular element and on said,
• one of said groups of locking elements comprising at least two lug threads evenly spaced circumferentially and protruding radially towards the others of said locking elements,
• each of said lug threads having an angularly and downwardly extending undersurface and an upwardly extending undercut recess at the end of i said undersurface
• the other of said groups of locking elements comprising a similar number of similarly spaced lugs which protrude radially toward said lug threads and that are engageable with said lug threads and in said recesses upon rotation of said can and said cover relative to each other,
• I means for resiliently biasing one of said groups of locking elements relative to the other of said groups of locking elements in an axial direction for moving said lugs into the recesses in said lug threads for restraining said cover against rotary and axial movements relative to said annular locking element and to said can.
• a child-proof overcap according to claim 1 in which the lug threads are mounted on the annular locking element and the lugs are formed on the inner side of the annular retainer skirt.
• a child-proof overcap according to claim 2 in which the lower end of the outer cover skirt engages the can end when the cover is in place.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Dispersion Chemistry (AREA)
• Containers And Packaging Bodies Having A Special Means To Remove Contents (AREA)
• Closures For Containers (AREA)

Abstract

Description

Claims (4)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=21994423

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (1)

Cited By (22)

Citations (6)

• 1970
  • 1970-07-15 US US54925A patent/US3706401A/en not_active Expired - Lifetime

Patent Citations (6)

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