This invention relates to dispensing closures, and, more particularly, to child-resistant dispensing closures.

A conventional type of dispensing closure

⁵ typically employs a base or cap which is threaded onto the neck of a container with a dispensing orifice in the top of the cap, and a lid hinged to the base for closing over and sealing the dispensing orifice.

A child resistant closure by definition is one

10 that is difficult for a child to open. The more successful child resistant closures require two separate and dissimilar movements or actions to remove or open the closure. These movements can be simultaneous or sequential. τ_5 Adding a child resistant feature to a flip top type of dispensing closure adds complexity to the closure and the molding process. However, there are successful closures of this type, for example, as shown in coopending patent application. Serial No. 189,109

2ø filed May 2, 1988. There also are a variety of dispensing closures that have a captive cap that is normally not or cannot be removed from the container neck but are partially unthreaded to open a dispensing passage. This type of cap is necessarily two piece

25 having an outer cap with the dispensing orifice through its top and an inner fitment which closes the orifice when the outer cap is screwed tight. The captive cap closure is not child resistant, but a child resistant feature can be added.

30 The present invention contemplates the use of a well known Squeeze Lok (R) child resistant feature as it is applied to standard threaded caps as typically

shown in Gach, et al U.S. Patent 3,770,153, ^' Montgomery U.S. Patent 3,826,395 and Julian U.S. Patent 3,989,152,

As in my coopending patent application, Serial No. filed , 1988, this invention is directed to a child resistant closure that has an external locking device of the above type which provides visual indication as the closure is being reapplied to the container that it has been restored to its child resistant state and to a closure which seals on or before the child resistant feature becomes effective and remains sealed through any additional threading on to a tightend Dosition or unthreading until the child resistant feature has been released. The invention contemplates the use of these features in _a dispensing closure.

The closure of this invention is for use on a container having a locking stop and a threaded neck. The container neck is also provided with an outwardly extending flange above the threads. The child resistant dispensing closure of this invention is two piece having a cap and a fitment. The cap has an imperforate planar top and an annular skirt which depends from the top. Internal threads are provided on the cap which are complementary to the container external threads. The child resistant feature is in the form of a manually releasable detent on the cap which is engagable with the container stop as the cap is being unthreaded from the container neck.

The second piece of the closure is in the form of a fitment which has a top with a centrally located dispensing orifice therethrough and a short annular skirt which depends from the periphery of the top. The fitment skirt has an inwardly directed bead for coaction with the container neck flange to sealingly

and permanently attach the fitment to the container neck.

The cap has a depending plug concentric to and within the annular skirt for engagement with the fitment to open or reseal the dispensing orifice as the cap is unthreaded from and threaded onto the container neck. The plug forms a rotary seal which is effective to maintain the sealing engagement with the dispensing orifice as the cap is being unthreaded from a fully tightened position past a position where the detent is manually disenaged from the container stop. This assures that even if a child partially unthreads the cap up to the container stop, the closure will remain sealed .

The fitment can be separately applied to the container neck, but more often, it will be inserted into the cap so that only a single capping operation is necessary. When the fitment is inserted into the cap, it is retained in a unique manner by the coaction of the cap plug with the fitment orifice. When the closure is threadingly applied to the container neck, the fitment permanently engages the neck by the coaction of the fitment bead with the container neck flange. Thereafter the plug serves to open and reseal the dispensing orifice. Retention of the fitment within the cap prior to initial application to the container neck is by an interference fit between the fitment orifice and the cap plug.

In a preferred form of the closure, the cap has a double skirt with an inner skirt being concentric to an outer skirt. The internal threads are located on the inner skirt and the releasable detent is located on the outer skirt. The manually releasable detent takes the form of a pair of axially extending diametrically

opposed tabs which depend from the outer skirt, and the container stop takes the form of a pair of diametrically opposed stop surfaces. The tabs pass by the stop surfaces as the cap is being threaded onto the container neck, but they abut against the stop surfaces when the cap is being unthreaded to prevent further unthreading until the tabs are manually released as the cap is being unthreaded. Also in the preferred form, a pair of opposed pressure pads are provided on the 0 annular skirt centered in a plane at right angles to the plane through the axially extending tabs so that manual release is effected by squeezing inwardly on the pads and moving the tabs outwardly to clear the stop surfaces as the cap is being unthreaded. 5 The container-closure package of the invention, in a preferred embodiment, also utilizes a sealing bead on the container neck below the container stop to perform a secondary sealing function. Also, the container stops are in the form of abutments which 0 have lead in cam surfaces which deflect the cap tabs outwardly as the cap is being threaded onto the container to clear the stops.

Other features of the closure will be set 5 forth in the detailed description, the preferred embodiments of the invention being illustrated in the drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing the cap and fitment of the closure as it is applied to

30 the container neck;

Fig. 2 is an elevational view of the closure of this invention, with a portion broken away and in section to show the sealing engagement of the cap, fitment and container neck;

-, _- Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view of a

portion of the closure and container neck taken in the encircled area 3 indicated in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the fitment attached to the container neck, and; Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken along line

5-5 of Fig. 2 additionally showing in phantom the cap tabs in various positions relative to the container stops as the container is rotated. As best seen in Fig. 1, the closure container package 10 includes two piece closure 12 and container 14. Container 14 has a shoulder portion 16 blending into neck 18 having external threads 20 to receive the closure. The neck has a narrow portion above threads 20 terminating in an annular rim 22 defining dispesning opening 24. Outwardly projecting flange or bead 26 is located on the narrow neck portion adjacent to annular rim 22. Below threads 20 is an outwardly projecting peeling bead 28. Also projecting outwardly from neck 8 or shoulder 16 are a pair of diametrically outwardly projecting stops 30 and 32 as best seen in Fig. 5.

Two piece dispensing closure 12 has a generally cylindrical cap 34 and a fitment 36. The fitment 36 has a generally planar top 38 and a short depending skirt 40. Dispensing orifice 42 extends through the top 38, and in most instances an upstanding nozzle or spout 44 surrounds the orifice 42 to direct the product being dispensed from the container 14. The size of orifice 42 and the contour of spout or nozzle 44 can be specifically designed for the particular product being dispensed which is usually a liquid or gel type materials such as a liquid dishwashing machine detergent. An inwardly projecting snap bead 46 adjacent the bottom of skirt 40 is designed to

cooperate with container neck flange 26 to snap the fitment 36 onto the container neck for permanent retention and sealing therewith. Container neck bead 26 effects a permanent seal with the interior surface 48 of fitment skirt 40 as best seen in Fig. 3.

Cap 34 has a concentric outer skirt 50 and inner skirt 52 as best seen in Fig. 2. Inner skirt 52 has internal threads 54 for engagement with container threads 20. Cap 34 has an imperforate planar or slightly curved top 56 with a depending plug 58 concentric with outer and inner skirts 50 and 52. Plug 58 diverges outwardly from cap top 56 to its distal end and engages orifice 42 and nozzle 44 with an interference fit to form the primary seal between the cap 34 and the fitment 36.

Fitment 36 can be separately applied to the container neck as seen in Fig. 4, or more commonly it is inserted into cap 34 for retention therewith which allows the closure 12 to be shipped as a unit to the ultimate packager. The interference fit between the nozzle 42 and the plug 58 retains the fitment secure within the interior of inner skirt 52. Annular flange 60 depends from the cap top 56 and is of an appropriate length to contact fitment top 58 leaving a slight clearance between the top of fitment nozzle 44 and the inside of cap top 56. As the cap 34 is threaded onto container neck 18, flange 60 exerts a downward force on fitment top 38 so that fitment bead 46 snaps over container flange 26 during this initial capping operation. Thereafter, the fitment is permanently retained in a sealing relationship on the container neck. Thereafter, the plug 58 serves to seal the orifice 42. With the interference fit and the axial length of plug 58 and nozzle 44, the seal is maintained

during the initial unthreading action of the cap 34.

A V-shaped sealing ring 62 depends from the fitment top 38 to form a secondary seal of the fitment with the annular rim 22 of container neck 18. Additionally, a V-shaped sealing ring 64 depends from the bottom of annular flange 60 to form a secondary seal of the cap to the fitment. Sealing rings 62 and 64 are the same diameter concentrating the sealing force between cap 34 and fitment 36 and the force between fitment 36 and container rim 22 in line. Another seal is provided between cap 34 and container neck 18 by the coaction of container neck bead 28 and the bottom of inner skirt 52 as best seen in Fig. 2.

A child resistant lock in the form of a manually releasable detent is provided on closure 12 for cooperation with container stop 30, 32. In the preferred form of the invention utilizing a double skirt cap, this takes the form of a pair of diametrically opposed axially extending tabs or lugs 66 and 68 depending from outer skirt 50 which cooperate with outwardly projecting container stops 30 and 32. As cap 34 is threaded onto container neck 18, tabs 66 and 68 are deflected outwardly by cam surfaces 70 and 72 of container stops 30 and 32. This outward deflection of outer wall 50 and tab 58 is shown in phantom in Fig. 2 as wall portion 50' and tab 68'. When the tabs are past their respective stops, the tab and wall portion resume their normal inward position as shown in Fig. 2. The cap can continue to be turned until it is fully threaded onto the container neck threads. Fig. 5 shows the tabs 66 and 68 in cross section before contact with the container stops 30 and 32. The positions of the tabs as they initially engage the cam surfaces 70 and 72 is shown in phantom at 66'

and 68'. The tabs are shown at 662 and 682 deflected to their fullest extent by the cam surfaces, and they are shown at 66 3 and 683 in the position they would assume as they drop off the cam surfaces 70 and 72 of the stops onto shoulder 16. The cap can be tightened up to an additional 90° to a fully tightened position shown by the positions of the tabs at 66 4 and 684.

When cap 34 is unthreaded, it can be rotated only up to the po'int where tabs 66 and 68 come into contact with the stop surfaces 74 and 76 of container stops 30 and 32. This position is shown at 66 3 and 683 in Fig. 5. The tabs 66 and 68 must be manually deflected outward to clear the stops 30 and 32 simultaneously with counterclockwise unthreading of the cap. Such a manual outward deflection is accomplished by pressing at diametrically opposed pad portions 78, only one of which is shown in Figs. 1 and 2. These pads 78 are located on a plane 90 from a plane through the center of the depending tabs 66 and 68. It will be apparent that container stops 30 and 32 could extend upwardly from shoulder 16 spaced from neck 18 in a manner shown in Figs. 1 - 3 of 0. S. Patent 3,989,152 so that inward pressure on cap skirt 50 in line with tabs 66 and 68 would more the tabs inward to clear the container stops. Likewise other forms of squeeze tabs can be used such as shown in Figs. 4 - 6 of this patent so that the cap would have only a single skirt.

Plug 58 maintains it sealing contact with orifice 42 and nozzle 44 from a position before or at the stop surfaces 30 and 32 through the fully tightened position shown at 66 4 and 684 until they have been released from the container stops as shown in full section at 66 and 68 in Fig. 5.

The present invention provides a child resistant two piece dispensing closure which includes a threaded cap having a reliable squeeze and turn safety lock with a plug, and a fitment providing a dispensing orifice that is sealed by the plug and a fitment which maintains a rotary seal over the "backed up to lock" turning rotation of the cap from fully tight to release of safety lock; such closure being well suited for marketing household products to which small children should not have access.