Over the years many types of dispensing containers have been developed that provide a security feature to prevent undesired and unsafe dispensing of a product contained therein. These containers may store products such as cleaners, lotions, insect repellant, medications, sanitizers and the like, which may be dispensed as desired for use. However, there are many instances where dispensing of the product may be toxic or harmful to a person. A primary example would be when a small child inadvertently gains access to a dispensing container storing a toxic substance. In this situation it is advantageous to have a closure such as cap or lid on the dispensing container that prevents the child from obtaining the toxic substance from within the container. By doing so, this prevents unwanted ingestion of the product by the child and/or undesired application/spillage of the product.
A variety of child-resistant closures are known to exist. Generally these include various threaded caps that cooperate with a corresponding container to prevent removal of the cap without first performing a secondary task that disengages a portion of the cap from a portion of the container. While this known solution is somewhat useful, it presents drawbacks. The safety function of this known solution may be overcome by simply forcing the cap to turn with respect to the container. The threaded solutions are not easily adaptable to pump and/or aerosol dispensers.
Another known solution provides a one-time locking apparatus that also provides a user with evidence of tampering. The locking/child-resistance feature is generally only applicable for the initial use, wherein any subsequent access to the product is without hindrance. While this solution is somewhat useful, it presents a significant drawback of only providing protection from access to undesired/unsafe products for the first use only. In the situation where the product is a single-dose this may be beneficial. Conversely, once the one-time locking feature is removed from a container storing a quantity of product for multiple doses, the housed product may be undesirably accessed by an unintended person such as a child.
In a further known solution, a pump assembly attached or integrated into a bottle. A pump actuator is provided to operate the pump for dispensing of a product housed within the bottle. The pump actuator assembly includes a dispensing actuator locking interface which governs vertical motion of the pump actuator. The dispensing actuator locking interface includes a projecting locking feature extending outward from an upper portion of the pump actuator. The projecting locking feature is retained in a locked configuration by an engagement edge of an actuator control feature. The projecting locking feature disengages from the actuator control feature by rotating the pump actuator. Rotation of the pump actuator is restricted by a rotation locking member extending hingeably outward from the pump actuator. The rotation locking member engages with a locking wall, wherein the locking wall is a vertical edge provided in an upstanding wall circumscribing the pump actuator. The rotation locking member configuration presents several limitations. The rotation locking member is an integral feature of the pump actuator, wherein combined into a uniform construction, being formed during the same molding process. The rotation locking member is hingeably attached to the pump actuator using living hinge technology integrated into the molding process and material selection. This configuration risks damage to the hinge, where the rotation locking member can become detached from the pump actuator. Once the rotation locking member is detached, the rotation locking member no longer provides the intended locking function. Since the pump actuator and rotation locking member are fabricated having a uniform construction, the material selection for each feature is not optimized. The hinge portion requires a high spring constant and reduced brittle nature, whereas the pump actuator portion requires a more rigid material. The design of the rotation locking member, including geometry, size, and location, is limited by the inclusion of the hinge. The design limitations restrict the effectiveness of the rotation locking member. This also contributes to the forces required to adequately depress the locking member. A person with limited strength or mobility may find it difficult to apply the force required to depress the locking member. Since the pump actuator and rotation locking member are fabricated having a uniform construction, they are manufactured of the same colored material. This conceals the rotation locking member from the user. This is particularly important for sight impaired individuals, such as the elderly.
Efforts to provide an improved child-resistant closure that overcomes the drawbacks in the prior art have not met with significant success to date. As a result, there is a need in the art for an improved child-resistant closure that provides reliable locking of the closure to prevent undesired dispensing, that enables the use of different materials between the locking feature and the primary components of the closure and that provides a convenient cost effect way to color code various elements of the child-resistant closure.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds