(Not Applicable)
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to closures or caps for vials or bottles, and more particularly to a combination vial and cap that is both child-resistant and elder-friendly.
2. Description of the Related Art
Child-resistant bottles and caps are known generally in the art. Most of these involve screw-type caps in which a separate motion, such as a downward axial movement, to disengage the locking mechanism, followed by rotation. Others require a radial inward (squeezing) motion, followed by rotation. Some of these prior art designs are shown by the following patents:
U.S. Pat. No. 6,085,920 (Moretti, issued Jul. 11, 2000) describes a child-resistant closure for bottles with easier operation. The child-resistant closure comprises a metal cap connected to a hood and an outer cap which engages the hood to prevent accidental removal.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,918,752 (Meyer, issued Jul. 6, 1999) describes a tamper-evident squeeze-and-turn child-resistant closure.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,588,545 (King, issued Dec. 31, 1996) describes another child-resistant and elderly friendly closure for containers. The closure comprises an inner part and an outer part, each having castellations which lock when the outer part is displaced axially.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,040,694 (Gambello, issued Aug. 20, 1991) describes a child-resistant cap comprising a lower cap and an upper cap. The lower cap and the upper cap must be aligned in a certain way to remove the cap from the container.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,954,459 (DeJonge, issued Aug. 8, 1991) describes another vial and closure design which may be rendered non-child-resistant. Downward pressure is required to engage ratchet type segments to permit removal of the cap.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,034,882, (Wright, Jul. 12, 1999) describes a bottle closure having a raised helical thread. Rotation of the closure followed by pushing in a downward direction is required to remove the closure from the bottle.
However, these devices, while achieving the objective of making the closure child-resistant, still tend to be difficult for seniors, those with arthritis, or individuals with other hand debilitations, to manipulate and open.
The present invention is a combination vial/cap or bottle/cap system in which the closure is both child-resistant and elder-friendly. The cap is removable from the vial or bottle.
Because the physical elements of the vial and closure of the present invention have sidewalls parallel to their vertical axis, without protrusions which break the vertical plane, these elements are particularly adapted for efficient and effective use with high speed automatic filling and capping equipment.
In the preferred embodiment of the invention, a locking ledge is located on the vial and two levers are located on the cap. A latch on one end of each lever engages the locking ledge to lock the cap onto the vial. A pressure tab is located at the other end of each lever. Two fulcra are located on each lever between the pressure tab and latch. Pressing. both pressure tabs simultaneously in a radial inward direction unlocks the cap from the vial by releasing the latch from the locking ledge. The cap may then be removed from the vial by simply lifting it off in an axial (vertical) direction, with no other coordinated motion being required.
In this preferred embodiment of the invention, the cap can also be flipped over and secured to the vial with a plug seal located on the opposite side of the cap. In this orientation, the cap is easily removed even by a person with limited strength and dexterity, although it is not child-resistant.
In a second embodiment of the invention, two locking ledges are located on a snap-cap and two levers are located on the collar of the vial. Each lever has a pressure tab at one end and a latch on the other end. Pressing both pressure tabs simultaneously in an radial inward direction unlocks the cap from the vial by releasing the latch from the locking ledge. The cap can then be lifted off the vial in an axial (vertical) direction.
In this second embodiment of the invention, the cap can also be flipped over and locked to the vial via the latches in a fashion that can be more easily removed. The direction of the taper on the locking ledge on the cap when the cap is flipped over allows the cap to be more easily removed. In this orientation, the vial and cap combination is not child resistant.
In either embodiment, even in the child-resistant orientation, because there is no orientation of the cap or the vial, or turning needed, the cap is easier to manipulate for senior adults who may suffer from arthritis, or other individuals with hand debilitations, or with difficulty manipulating small items. However, because both pressure tabs must be pressed simultaneously while pulling or lifting the cap in an axial direction, the cap is difficult for children to manipulate.
Thus, it is a principal object of this invention to provide a vial and cap system which is both child-resistant and elder-friendly.
It is also an object of this invention to provide a vial and cap system in which, with the cap in one orientation, the cap is child-resistant, and with the cap in a flipped-over orientation, the child-resistant feature may be temporarily disabled.
It is also an object of this invention to provide a vial and cap system in which the locking mechanism can be located on either the cap or on the vial.
It is also an object of this invention to provide a vial and cap combination in which no rotation, orientation, alignment, torque, downward force or inordinate amount of manual pressure is required to remove the cap from the vial.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a design in which the physical elements of the vial and closure have sidewalls parallel to their vertical axis, without protrusions which break the vertical plane, simplifying their manufacture and making them particularly adapted for efficient and effective use with high speed automatic bottling and capping equipment.