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(11) | EP 0 963 916 A1 |
| (12) | EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION |
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| (54) | Safety plug obtained by the application of an independent safety cap on a normal cap |
| (57) Safety plug assembly consisting of a normal stopper (1,2) screwed on the pourout
of the container bottle (4) and a safety cap (11), the plug (1,2) and cap (11) being
separate elements , of which the plug (1,2) closes all containers (4) whether or not
they are containing harmless or poisonous or noxious products, whereas the cap (11)
is connected to it by simple axial coupling and is blocked by swells on the plug (1,2)
only if the vessel contains noxlous or poisonous products, thus transforming the normal
plug automatically into a "childproof" safety cap. |
[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".
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 .