[0001] This invention covers a safety plug obtained by a cap externally fitted on top of
a normal plug.
[0002] Various types of bottle shaped product vessels are known, fitted with a screw plug
on their pourout. This plug is fitted after the bottle has been filled and consists
of a lower security ring attached, by means of a swell or internal prominent teeth,
to an external anular expansion in the container neck. Tearable shanks connect the
plug to the security ring and these shanks are broken when the plug is removed. If
the contents is a harmless product as far as ingestion or contact is concerned, a
simple plug as described above will be used.
[0003] But if the product is poisonous or noxious or if it is a medicinal preparation or
drug, measures shall be taken to prevent imprudent use or spilling of the product,
especially by children.
[0004] Therefore, special "childproof" stoppers are used by which the vessel can only be
opened after appropriate preliminary axial or radial squashing and it is difficult
for children to perform this operation.
[0005] By this squashing, appropriate shapes of the safety cap will mesh with the matching
shapes in the plug. This means that a normal plug or a "childproof" cap, formed by
a plug and its associated safety cap as explained above are required for each container
type and these plugs are nowadays manufactured in two separate series since the "childproof"
stopper too has a complete production cycle which includes the plug and the safety
cap.
[0006] This is expensive since it requires the fabrication of a complete set of normal and
of "childproof" plugs. Problems also arise when normal plugs are fitted by mistake
on vessels containing poisonous or harmful products or when provisions of the law
require protection of a product formerly scheduled as being harmless so that it will
be necessary to open and throw away all normal plugs and then replace them by safety
plugs.
[0007] This invention has the aim to eliminate all the above drawbacks and to provide a
cap to be mounted on a normal plug , transforming it automatically from normal into
a "childproof" safety cap.
[0008] According to this invention, this normal plug as herein described is provided with
external peripheral vertical grooves and with an external peripheral swell at its
lower end featuring tearable shanks connected to the security ring.
[0009] This normal plug is fitted, according to this invention, on all containers whether
or not they are holding harmless or poisonous or noxious products. However, if the
product is harmful or poisonous, the normal plug is covered by a cap which transforms
the normal plug into a safety cap. According to this invention, this safety cap is
cylindrical with an internal lower swell. The crown of the cap has the shape of a
thin, elastic deformable wall, so that an internal central pin can perform an axial
upward and downward movement with respect to the cap. Numerous peripheral catches
inside the crown of the cap are shaped to penetrate into and exit axially from the
external grooves of the plug.
[0010] If the contents of the bottle is poisonous or harmful, the cap in question is applied
in a simple and immediate way by pressing it axially down on the plug until its internal
peripheral lower swell meshes with the lower pheripheral external groove in the plug
and the central pin in the cap crown rests on the central outer surface of the plug.
The crown of the cap will then be in its elastic rest position forming a slightly
concave upside-down cone and the peripheral catches in the cap crown are raised with
respect to the external grooves in the plug. Therefore rotation of the cap will not
act on the plug which won't move.
[0011] When axially pressing the cap downwards, it will move downwards causing the elastic
deformation of its crown which will become almost flat and the internal peripheral
catches will penetrate the plug grooves so that, when turning the cap, the plug too
will rotate and will tear the shanks connecting it to the lower security ring. Subsequently,
the plug is always screwed or unscrewed again by keeping the cap axially pressed down;
if the cap is not axially pressed down, the crown will return to its elastic, upside
down cone shaped configuration and the internal peripheral catches will spring out
of the plug grooves, thus re-establishing a "childproof" stoppering.
[0012] The invention in question is illustrated for exemplification purposes in the enclosed
drawings in which:
Fig. 1 shows a lateral view and a partial vertical central section of the plug closing
the containers of any harmless, poisonous or noxious product types,
Fig. 2 shows a top view of the plug shown in Fig. 1,
Fig. 3 shows a lateral view and a partial vertical central section of the safety cap
covering the plug in Fig. 1 when applied on vessels containing poisonous or harmful
products,
Fig. 4 shows the section according to the I-I axis of the cap in Fig. 3,
Fig. 5 shows the vertical central section of the safety cap assembly in closed safety
position,
Fig. 6 shows the vertical central section of the safety assembly in condition which
permits the opening or closing of the cap,
Fig. 7 shows the magnified detail A of Fig. 3.
[0013] With reference to these drawings, the normal plug as illustrated in the Figures 1
and 2 consists of the cylindrical body 1 crowned by an upper closing element 2; the
plug 1,2 is internally featuring anular shapes 3 sealing the pourout of the bottle
4 and a thread 5 to be screwed and unscrewed on the marching external thread on the
bottle neck 4.
[0014] The lower edge of the plug 1 features an external anular swell 6 provided with tearable
shanks 7 connected to the securing ring 8 which, in turn, features an internal anular
swell or peripheral teeth 9 blocking the plug by meshing with a matching anular swell
on the outside of the container neck 4.
[0015] The body 1 of the plug externally features properly and peripherally spaced vertical
grooves 10 over its whole circumference or on opposed sectors.
[0016] This normal plug 1, 2 is fitted on the outpour of the container 4, meshing with the
swell or teeth 9 of the security ring 8 on the matching external swell on the container
neck 4. To open the assembly, the plug 1,2 is unscrewed while the shanks 7 are torn
away and the security ring is removed from the plug. Anyone, even children can open
and close the plug and there will be no problems as long as the liquid is harmless
or the bottle is placed out of children's reach.
[0017] However, a "childproof" safety cap is required if the contents is harmful or poisonous
to prevent children or other incompetent persons from opening the vessel.
[0018] Therefore, according to this invention, the normal plug may be transformed into a
safety stopper by applying a special cap to be fitted on top of the normal plug.
[0019] As shown in the figures 3 and 4, this cap features a cylindrical body 11 having an
inside diameter slightly larger than the outside diameter of the body 1 of the plug
and terminating at its lower end by an internal anular swell 12. Furthermore, the
cap 11 features a deformable thin walled crown 13 having at its center a protruding
pin 14. The presence of an anular recess 16 in the peripheral zone of the crown as
shown in fig. 7 will be preferable in order to facilitate the deformation of the crown
13.
[0020] The cap 11 is fitted on top of the plug 1,2 by applying it axially until the internal
anular swell 12 snaps over the external anular swell 6 of the plug thus blocking the
plug; in this way, the pin 14 inside the deformable crown 13 will rest on the center
of the outer closing surface 2 of the plug. The crown 13 of the cap will take a rest
position forming an upside-down cone as shown in the figures 3 and 5.
[0021] The internal periphery of the crown 13 features numerous raised catches 15 of limited
height shaped to penetrate the external grooves 10 in the plug body 1.
[0022] When the cap 11 is in rest position with its crown 13 having the configuration of
an upside-down cone as shown in fig.5, the catches 15 remain outside the grooves 10
so that, when turning the cap 11, no movement is transmitted to the plug and the container
4 remains closed thus preventing its opening by children.
[0023] However, when the cap is pressed down axially as shown by the arrow F in fig.6, the
cap 11 is lowered until it counteracts the elastic action of the crown 13 which will
flatten out and the catches 15 will penetrate the grooves 10 so that the cap and plug
will rotate together and thus permit to open and close the container 4 by acting on
the cap. When the axial pressure F is no longer applied, the crown 13 will return
elastically to its upside-down cone shaped position so that the catches 15 will snap
out of the grooves 10 and the plug is again "childproof".
[0024] The central pin 14 inside the crown 13 of the cap 11 applied on top of the plug is
particularly important since it ensures a uniform elastic deformation of the whole
cap crown during the axial movement of the cap with respect to the plug.
1. Safety plug assembly consisting of a normal plug (1,2) to be screwed on the outpour
of a container bottle (4) and a safety cap (11) which will act on the plug only after
the cap has been axially or radially pressed down to mesh with the teeth or shapes
of the two elements characterized in that the plug (1,2) and the safety cap (11) are separate elements, of which the
plug (1,2) closes all containers (4) whether or not they contain harmless, poisonous
or noxious products, whereas the cap (11) is fitted by simple axial engagement and
blocking by means of swells on the plug (1,2) only if the bottle (4) contains poisonous
of harmful products, thus automatically transforming a normal plug into a "childproof"
safety plug.
2. Safety plug as described in claim 1, the normal plug having the shape of a cylindrical
body (1) and featuring an upper closure (2), internal sealing elements (3) on the
container pourout (4), an internal thread (5) to screw and unscrew the plug on the
matching external thread of the bottle neck (4) and a security ring (8) connected
below the plug by tearable shanks (7), this security ring being provided with elements
(9) meshing with the container neck (4) characterized in that the plug features an external anular swell (6) at the lower end of its cylindrical
body (1) and properly shaped and spaced vertical grooves (10) on the whole periphery
or on opposed sectors of the outer surface of the body (1).
3. Safety plug as described in claim 1, characterized in that the cap consists of a cylindrical body (11) having an inside diameter slightly
larger than the outside diameter of the plug (1), an internal swell (12) formed at
the base of the body (11), an upper crown (13) having a thin elastic wall and featuring
at its periphery an anular recess (16) and at its center a projecting pin (14) and
protruding catches (15) around the circumference of the crown (13), the catches being
shaped to penetrate the vertical grooves (10) in the plug (1) whereas this internal
swell (12) will mesh with the outer swell (6) of the plug (1) when the cap is mounted
on the plug and the pin (14) rests on the external center of the upper surface (2)
of the plug.
4. Safety plug as described in claim 1 and subsequent claims, characterized in that the crown (13) of the cap (11) during its rest position has the shape of
an upside down cone which keeps the cap (11) raised with respect to the normal plug
(1) and keeps the catches (15) of the cap out of the external vertical grooves (10)
in the plug, so that rotation of the cap will not cause the plug to turn which thus
remains closed.
5. Safety cap as described in claim 1 and subsequent claims characterized by the fact that when axially pressing down the cap (11) (arrow F), its crown (13)
will take an almost flat shape, the catches (15) will mesh with the external radial
grooves (10) in the plug so that the cap when turned will rotate the plug causing
its opening or closing .
6. Safety plug as described in claim 1, characterized in that the internal pin (14) of the thin, deformable walled crown (13) ensures a
uniform deformation of this upside-down cone shaped crown into a flat shape and from
its flat form into an upside-down shaped cone because of its elasticity .