Dispensing – With lock or fastening seal – Inhibiting operation of flow controller or closure
Patent
1999-05-10
2000-11-28
Kaufman, Joseph A.
Dispensing
With lock or fastening seal
Inhibiting operation of flow controller or closure
222534, 222536, B67D 506
Patent
active
061523291
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a closure cap for the mouth of containers, particularly those used to store cleaning agents, cosmetics and the like, consisting of a main body which can be placed over the mouth of the container in fluid-tight fashion and has at least one product-metering opening which can be closed by a tubular sealing element, and a top plate, through which the media can flow, attached to the main body in pivoting fashion such that the container mouth can be sealed tight or opened as required.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
A sealing device of this kind is known from German Patent Application P 195 41 830. In the sealing device disclosed there, the product-metering opening is released by applying pressure to one side of the top plate, so that the medium contained in the container can flow out. The top plate can be locked in different positions by nibs, so that the product-metering opening can be opened more or less to increase or decrease the corresponding flow of product. However, the unintentional opening of the closure cap cannot be prevented. This is particularly problematic when the containers are transported and the closure cap is opened by objects striking or resting against the top plate, for example.
A sealing device for a container is known from EP-A-585 501 which has a separate component intended to prevent the top plate from being pressed down.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,424,920 discloses a pump for a container, where the pressing down of the pump button is intended to be prevented by locking elements provided on the pump station.
The invention is thus based on the task of further developing a generic closure cap such that it is impossible to open it unintentionally by pressing down the top plate.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the invention, the task is solved in that at least two slits are provided in the lateral surface of the main body which run essentially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the main body, thus forming a locking lever between the slits which is connected to the main body by bridges of material, and in that the top plate can be firmly locked in the closed position by the locking lever.
The closure cap is preferably designed such that the locking device engages at least one recess provided on the top plate, or can be positioned underneath the top plate. This provides for positive, secure locking.
At least two slits are provided in the lateral surface of the main body which run essentially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the main body, thus forming a locking lever between the slits which is connected to the main body by bridges of material. Designing the locking device as a locking lever in this way greatly simplifies the manufacture of the closure cap, as the locking lever need not be mounted as an additional component using nibs which rest in suitably designed recesses, for example, but rather can be integrally molded directly on the main body. Instead of the slits being integrally molded or provided for in the mold, they can be cut into the main body later on in the manner of the slits described above, thus forming a locking lever. Conventional closure caps, which have no locking lever and no recesses in the injection mold, can thus also be provided with a locking lever of this kind in a subsequent process. The bridges of material formed between the locking lever and the main body are designed such that they have adequate pretension and stability to ensure locking of the closure cap.
In a particularly preferred configuration, the lateral surface of the main body in the region of the locking lever has a recess whose lowest point is roughly located in the region of the bottom edge of the top plate in the closed state. Thus, the locking lever can easily engage under the bottom rim of the top plate without necessitating the provision of an additional locking device, such as a groove or the like, to engage the locking lever. If the upper face end of the locking lever projects slightly beyond the bottom rim of the top plate, the engaging of
REFERENCES:
patent: 3542256 (1970-11-01), Waterman
patent: 3786964 (1974-01-01), Landen
patent: 4424920 (1984-01-01), Tada
Filip Norbert
Rosenthal Karl-Heinz
Innocos Innovative Verpackungen fur Die Kosmetische Industrie Gm
Kaufman Joseph A.
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