This invention pertains to the area of containers that are intended for holding substances in liquid, powder, fluid, or gaseous form that pose a danger due to their toxic or polluting nature, the risk of explosion, or for any other reason.

Most of the time, the containers that are currently used for these purposes, be they bottles, cylinders, cans, spray cans, boxes, etc., have shapes that are quite similar to those of containers for non-hazardous substances and are recognized by sight only, most often by their color or the (frequently microscopic) writing or images on the labels affixed to them.

It is not adequately possible to distinguish the different containers in this way in various situations that arise quite often in everyday life: for example, when the lighting is poor for some reason, or when these items have to be handled by people who are elderly, in frail condition, or have problems associated with vision or language or different cultures.

In these situations, unfortunately, there is a serious risk of one container being confused with another, with consequences that are readily imaginable.

Some international safety standards call for affixing to a container one or two symbols (triangular only) that are readily recognizable to the touch, but both the dimensions of these symbols (equilateral triangles measuring 1-2 centimeters on a side) and the locations where these symbols are attached (at more or less mid-height, on opposite parts of the container when it exceeds certain dimensions in terms of diameter) cannot provide absolute certainty that the hazard message will be conveyed by touch.

As a matter of fact, all it takes is for the user to grasp the container too high or too low or to bridge' his hand, thus keeping it from coming into contact with the hazard symbol, and he will completely miss the warning, or at the least it will be very uncertain that the symbol will fulfill its purpose.

The inventor of this invention has devised a simple, safe, and economical way of avoiding the risks and drawbacks described above; this method essentially consists of making recognizable to touch containers that hold toxic substances (for example, poisons or medicines) or, in any case, those that have to be handled with care (gases, explo- sives, etc.), in an absolutely unambiguous manner, whereby the tactile hazard warnings are made and located in such a way

that the user who handles a container cannot help but come into contact with them with his hand.

The subject of this invention consists of a container with or without a cap and/or handle, which container is particularly well-suited for holding toxic substances or, in any case, substances that are to be handled with care on which are made or affixed a number of elements that have characteristics which can be recognized by touch, as charac- terized by the characterizing part of attached Claim 1.

A more detailed description of the invention will now be given, in connection with some preferred embodiments that are neither limiting nor binding with respect to other forms that can be obtained by relying on its inventive concepts.

For this purpose, reference will also be made to the attached figure, which shows the longitudinal section of a container, in the case in question a bottle without handles and with a cap; the left-hand half of the figure shows in sectional view the case where a number of protruding parts are created during the production process, both on its outer surface and on that of the corresponding cap, while the right-hand half shows a lateral view of the case where this group of protruding parts is attached to the outer surface of an adhesive strip that is affixed both to the outer surface of the bottle and to that of the cap.

In any case, the zone(s) that is (are) formed by the protruding parts extend over the entire circumference of the container and have a preset height.

If we examine the left-hand part of this figure, we see that bottle 1, which can be made of glass, polyethylene teraphthalate (PET), metal, or other materials, and cap 2 have a number of protruding parts 4 that are, for example, conoidal in shape and are pointed so that they can be quickly recog- nized by touch without the risk of causing scratches or cuts.

As we see, these parts are made either on a part of the outer surface of a bottle 1 or on the lateral surface of cap 2, over their entire circumference.

The middle of the right-hand side of the figure shows how to this bottle and its cap, the surfaces of which are left smooth after production, there has been affixed by identical means an adhesive strip or ring 3 (made of, for example, synthetic resin), which is also immediately recogniz- able to the touch since its structure or that of abrasive granules 3a that are incorporated into it have corners or are pointed.

It is obvious that, at the time when bottle 1 is grasped by the user and, especially, when cap 2 has not been removed, the projecting parts in relief 3a will immediately and reliably convey to the user by touch the warning that he is handling a container that holds substances that pose a danger of some kind. This therefore avoids the risk of unfortunate confusion and the resultant consequences.

Clearly, when cap 2 is present, the protruding parts or the strip with abrasive granules applied or attached to the outside of the bottle are not absolutely necessary. They become necessary, however, when the cap is not present: in this case, it is possible to use multiple zones or to cover the entire lateral surface of the bottle itself.

When there is not a cap but a lever or a control button, these items should also have the same characteristics that convey a warning.

The discussion given above and the figures present- ed do not cover all the possible embodiments of the invention: for example, both the container and the strip that is applied can be of different types, and the protruding parts on the container may also be shaped and arranged in different ways.

Finally, when one or more handles are present, the above- mentioned protruding parts or strip may be positioned in such a way as to cover at least a preset portion along the entire outer perimeter.

To ensure greater safety later when packaging is done, a "safety strip" may be used to supplement the system, either on the container or on its outer casing (for example, a box). The tactile strip may also be made on or attached to the casing itself and may be of any appropriate color.

By making a distinction between the types of protruding parts and the physical characteristics that make them recognizable to the touch depending on the types of substances contained therein, it is possible, in addition to

indicating risk, to allow recognition of the substances themselves. Other modifications and improvements may also be made to embodiments that are different from those presented up to this point.

These different embodiments also fall within the framework of the protection conferred by this application if they refer to the material presented in the attached claims.

For example, the protruding parts that are recog- nizable by touch may also include braille characters that can be recognized by the visually impaired.