GB2575489A

GB2575489A - Key releasable bottle cap

Info

Publication number: GB2575489A
Application number: GB1811448.8A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Richard Dean Lobley Matthew; Maria Victoria Lobley Amy
Original assignee: Capslok Ltd
Current assignee: Capslok Ltd
Priority date: 2018-07-12
Filing date: 2018-07-12
Publication date: 2020-01-15
Anticipated expiration: 2038-07-12
Also published as: GB2575489B; GB201811448D0

Abstract

A key releasable cap 100 for a container with an externally threaded neck. The cap comprises an inner member 110 within an annular outer member 120. The inner member comprises a circular top wall 130 and a sidewall 140, which has an internally facing thread (210, figure 3). The top wall comprises at least one key receiving means 200, which enables the inner member to be rotated and may comprise a blind hole. The outer member sidewall 170 is of at least the same depth as, and completely surrounds, inner sidewall 140 and the innermost radius of the outer side wall may be greater than the outermost radius of the inner member. The outer member is movably fastened to the inner member such that the inner and outer members can rotate independently relative to each other, perhaps with bearings 160 positioned between the side walls. There may be a key (220, figure 6) comprising complementary engagement means. The key may comprise top and side walls (230 and 240, figure 6) so that there is a close fit of the key over and around the outer member.

Description

KEY RELEASABLE BOTTLE CAP

The present invention relates to improvements in key releasable bottle caps. More particularly but not exclusively, the present invention relates to a bottle cap which is tightened onto a bottle by a key corresponding to said cap, and which can only be removed from said bottle by untightening the cap from the bottle using the same corresponding key. A preferred use of the invention is in the field of milk containers such as bottles or cartons and particularly in preventing users of a communal fridge from accessing milk that is not theirs.

The bottle cap may be suitable for plastic milk containers such as bottles and cartons, but could also be used on similar containers comprising a cap and in situations where it is important to prevent access to unauthorised users.

Many bottle caps exist which aim to tackle the broad everyday problem of preventing unwanted access to the bottle contents. The majority of said caps comprise two main parts - an inner cap shaped member which screws onto the top of a bottle, surrounded by an outer cap shaped member which moves independently of the inner member so when a user grips the bottle cap and turns, they grip the outer member of the cap which turns, and the inner member of the cap remains fixed to the bottle. The inner member of the cap can be made to move with the outer member of the cap so that the cap as a whole can be either screwed onto the bottle or unscrewed from the bottle. Typically the inner and outer members can be made to move together by means of a key which engages both the inner and outer members, or by squeezing or pushing the outer member part into contact with the inner cap member so as to engage the two together and enable both to be turned simultaneously.

An example of a key releasable cap comprising an inner and outer member is described in US6032811. This is in the field of “child proofing”, for example on medicine bottles or the like. The outer member of the cap is free to independently rotate about the inner member. A key slot is positioned on the upper surface of both the outer member and the inner member and when the members are rotated such that the key slots align, a key can be inserted into both the outer and inner members at the same time. Turning the key then turns both the outer and inner members of the cap to thus open or close the bottle to which the cap is attached.

Another example of a key releasable cap is described in US5509550. This discloses a cap comprising inner and outer independently movable members which are both cap shaped. When a pivoting key bar, located on the top surface of the outer member, is flipped over, a male protruding portion in the key bar engages with a female receiving portion in the inner member to fix the inner and outer cap members together and enable them to rotate together when the outer surface of the outer member is turned.

LIS2016030285 also discloses a cap comprising independently movable inner and outer members which can be made to rotate together when a key is inserted into aligned holes in the upper most surface of said inner and outer members.

Each of these prior art devices have the problem that the outer member of the cap must be aligned with the inner member of the cap such that the key used to turn said cap can fit simultaneously into complementary receiving portions aligned on the outer and inner members. As such, the opening of a key releasable cap could be simplified by removing the need to align the outer member with the inner member.

According to the present invention, there is provided a key releasable cap for a container with an externally threaded neck as defined in the appended independent apparatus claim. Further preferable features of the key releasable cap of the present invention are defined in the claims dependent therefrom. There is also provided a key for use with said cap, as defined in the appended claims.

The present invention differs from the prior art in that the inner member is cap shaped and comprises the key receiving means, but the surrounding outer member is an annulus that does not comprise key receiving means. There is therefore no requirement to align the outer member with the inner member in order for the key receiving means to engage in the manner required to enable the inner member to be rotated relative to the container it, in use, is fixed to, and thus unscrewed and released. In use, the outer member is not locked to the inner member such that the inner member can be rotated by rotating the outer member.

The cap of the present invention could be considered less secure than prior art caps, but the present invention concerns the field of securing drinks containers which are stored in communal fridges. The prior art caps concern child-proofing medicine bottles and the like. Security is therefore a greater priority for the prior art caps, whereas convenience of use is of greater importance for the present invention. Merely having the cap in place will be enough to discourage an opportunist from stealing, and thus the cap of the present invention will have the desired effect.

Advantageously, the cap may further comprise bearings positioned between the outer face of the sidewall of the inner member and the inner face of the side wall of the outer member which enable the coaxial rotation of inner and outer members relative to each other. The bearings enable simple relative coaxial rotation of the inner and outer members. Grooves, runners, rails, or the like could also be used to achieve the same desired effect of relative coaxial rotation whilst still holding the inner and outer members together and preventing them from moving in any other direction relative to each other.

The innermost radius of the annular outer member is preferably greater than the outermost radius of the inner member. This enables clear and unobstructed access to the top wall of the inner member, and thus clear and unobstructed access to the key receiving means located in the top wall of the inner member. Clear access allows a user to locate the key simply and quickly into the key receiving means to then turn said key and unscrew the cap. Further advantageously, the at least one key receiving means is positioned in the externally facing side of the top wall of the inner member to aid easy access.

The key receiving means comprise an aperture. The aperture enables a male protrusion from a key to locate in said complementary aperture which forms a female receiving means. The key receiving means could also, advantageously, comprise a blind hole. The blind hole would prevent the key from being inserted too far through the key releasable cap and would also enable the inner member of the cap to remain fluid-tight once secured to a container.

Preferably, the frictional force between the inner and outer members which resists relative movement of said inner and outer members is less than the frictional force between the internally threaded face of inner member and the externally threaded neck of a container when said key releasable cap is securely fastened on to said container. This enables the cap to remain fastened to a container when it has been screwed on using the key and a user is attempting to unscrew it from the container by turning the outer member.

The key releasable cap must have a complementary key in order that it can be fastened and unfastened from a container. Advantageously, the key comprises engagement means suitable for complementary engagement with the receiving means of the cap. Further advantageously, the key comprises a top wall with a circular peripheral edge and a cylindrical sidewall extending therefrom and wherein the engagement means extends from the internal face of the top wall. The innermost radius of the cylindrical sidewall of the key is greater than the outer most radius of the outer member of the key releasable cap. Preferably, the innermost radius of the cylindrical sidewall of the key is sized such that there is a close tolerance fit of the key over and around the outermost radius of the outer member of the key releasable cap. This enables a user to locate the key onto the cap quickly and in the correct position for the engagement means to engage the receiving means. The close tolerance fit means that the user must merely rotate the key when it is placed over the outer member, in order for the engagement means of the key to locate with the receiving means on the inner member of the cap. The key may be of a complementary shape to the cap such that the inner face of the key sidewall engages with the outer member of the cap and the inner face of the key top wall engages with the top wall of the inner member of the cap. This would further help a user to engage the engagement means with the receiving means when placing the key over the cap.

In order that only one key can be used to open one cap, the configuration of the engagement means may be unique to the complementary configuration of the receiving means of the cap. Furthermore, indicia on the key and cap could indicate the cap to which the key corresponds. The indicia may comprise a colour and or raised bumps suitable for reading by touch. The key could also comprise an externally facing gripping surface to help a user grip and turn the key when it is engaged with the cap.

In order that the invention may be more readily understood, reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the releasable cap of the present invention, showing the top wall of the inner member with receiving means therein, and the outer member surrounding said inner member;

Figure 2a is a top view of the inner member of the releasable cap of the present invention;

Figure 2b is a side view of the inner member of the releasable cap of the present invention;

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the releasable cap of Figure 1, showing the underside of the top wall of the inner member;

Figure 4 is a top view of the outer member of the releasable cap of the present invention and a cut-through section of said outer member;

Figure 5 is a top view of the inner member of the releasable cap of the present invention, showing the underside of the top wall of the inner member and a cut-through section of said inner member;

Figure 6 is a top view of the key of the present invention and a cut-through section of said key; and

Figure 7 is a perspective view of the releasable cap of the present invention, showing the underside of the top wall of the inner member, and showing the key of the present invention engaged around the outer member of the cap and with engagement means on the key engaged within receiving means on the cap.

Referring firstly to Figure 1, the releasable cap 100 of the present invention is shown comprising two main parts - an inner member 110 and an outer member 120.

The inner member 110 comprises a circular top wall 130 with a circular peripheral edge and a substantially cylindrical sidewall 140 extending perpendicularly from the top wall 130 to form a cap shape. As can be seen best in Figure 2, the outermost face of the cylindrical sidewall 140 comprises a groove 150 with a radially inwardly dropping U-shaped cross-sectional profile and which runs around the face of the cylindrical sidewall 140. The groove 150 is suitable for receiving and securing bearings 160 therein. The bearings 160 are spherical and shown best in Figure 1.

The outer member 120 is annular and comprises an inner and outer sidewall 170, 180 of at least the same axial depth as the sidewall 140 of the inner member. The outer member 120 completely surrounds the sidewall 140 of the inner member 110.

The bearings 160, mentioned above, are positioned between the outermost face of the cylindrical sidewall 140 of the inner member 110 and the innermost face of the inner sidewall 170 of the outer member 120. Six spherical bearings 160 are shown in Figure 1, but it will be understood that this number can be varied. It will be understood that the entire circumference of inner member may be surrounded by bearings 160.

As shown best in Figures 3 and 5, the innermost face of the inner sidewall 170 of the outer member 120 comprises a groove 190. This groove 190 receives the bearings 160 in the same manner as the groove 150 on the outermost face of the cylindrical sidewall 140 of the inner member 110. The groove 190 also has a U-shaped, radially outward dropping, cross-sectional profile which runs around the face of the cylindrical inner sidewall 170 of the outer member 120.

The bearings 160 are held in position by the walls of the U-shaped grooves 150 and 190, i.e. between the outermost face of the cylindrical sidewall 140 of the inner member 110 and the innermost face of the inner sidewall 170 of the outer member 120. The bearings enable the outer member 120 to be movably fastened to the inner member 110 such that the inner and outer members 110, 120 can rotate relative to each other and coaxially about their common centre.

A screw thread 210 is present on the innermost face of the inner sidewall 140 of the inner member 110. This is shown in Figures 3 and 5. The screw thread 210 enables the inner member 110 to be tightened onto a container with a complementahly threaded neck, for example, the neck of a milk container. The top wall 130, in conjunction with the sidewall 140 and the thread 210 of the inner member 110 enables the releasable cap 100 to be secured in a fluid-tight manner to said complementarily threaded neck of, as stated in the above example, a milk container.

Referring again to Figure 1, it is shown that the outermost surface of the top wall 130 of the inner member 110 comprises three blind holes in a triangle formation. The blind holes are female key receiving means 200, suitable for receiving a male protruding element from a key. The key of the present invention will be described in detail later. The underside, or blind end, of the holes of the key receiving means can be seen from Figure 3. Also shown in Figure 3, and in Figure 5, is an inner ring 300 comprising a substantially cylindrical sidewall extending perpendicularly downward from the top wall 130. The inner ring 300 is concentric with the sidewall 140 and thread 210 of the inner member 110, and is positioned between the thread 210 and the female receiving means 200. The inner ring 300 prevents the top of the threaded neck of a container from buckling and distorting when the releasable cap 100 of the present invention is tightened or untightened.

It will be understood that the number, size, shape, depth, arrangement, etc of the holes that comprise the key receiving means can be varied an infinite number of ways to accommodate any number of keys specific to that unique arrangement.

The key 220 of the present invention can be seen in Figures 6 and 7. The key 220 is of a similar cap shape to the inner member 110, i.e. it has a circular top wall 230 with a circular peripheral edge and a substantially cylindrical sidewall 240 extending perpendicularly from the top wall 230 to form said cap shape. The innermost radius of the cylindrical sidewall 240 of the key 220 is greater than the outermost radius of the outer member 120 of the key releasable cap 100. Specifically, the innermost radius of the cylindrical sidewall 240 of the key 220 is sized such that there is a close tolerance fit of the key 220 over and around the outermost radius of the outer member 120 of the key releasable cap 100.

Male protrusions, known as engagement means 250, extend from the innermost face of the top wall 230 of the key 220, and are sized and positioned such that when the key 220 is placed over the key releasable cap 100 and rotated axially to the suitable position, they engage with the complementary female key receiving means 200 in the face of top wall 130 of the inner member 110 described above. The male protrusions of the engagement means 250 extend less than half the depth of the key sidewall 240.

The key 220 is also of a complementary shape to the cap 100 such that the inner face of the key sidewall 240 abuts the outer member 120 of the cap 100 and the inner face of the key top wall 230 abuts the top wall 130 of the inner member 110 of the cap 100, when the key 220 is engaged correctly with the cap 100.

The key 220 and cap 100 comprise indicia to indicate the cap to which the key corresponds. It will be understood that this indicia may be of the form of a numbers, words, colour, raised bumps suitable for reading by touch, etc. The key 220 may also comprise an externally facing gripping surface to help a user grip, and subsequently turn, said key 220.

The design of the thread 210 of the cap 100 and the bearings 160 is such that the frictional force between the inner and outer members 110, 120 which resists relative movement of said inner and outer members 110, 120 is less than the frictional force between the internally threaded face of inner member 110 and the externally threaded neck of a container when said key releasable cap 100 is securely fastened on to said container. Thus, turning the outer member 120 of the cap 100 will not result in unscrewing the cap 100 when it has been fastened into position on a container. The cap 100 will need to be fastened onto a container by engaging the key 220 onto the cap 100 and turning said key 220 such that the inner member 110 of the cap 100 turns. Similarly, the cap 100 will need to be unscrewed from a container by engaging the key 220 onto the cap 100 and turning said key 220 such 5 that the inner member 110 of the cap 100 turns in the opposite direction.

Finally, the key 220 comprises a loop 260 positioned on the outer face of the cylindrical sidewall 240. The loop is suitable for fastening the key to a keyring, chain or the like.

Claims

1. A key releasable cap for a container with an externally threaded neck, the cap comprising;

an inner member concentrically received within an outer member, wherein the inner member comprises a top wall with a circular peripheral edge and a cylindrical sidewall extending therefrom, and the inner member sidewall comprises an internally facing thread for threadably coupling said inner member to the threaded neck of a container, characterised in that, the outer member is annular and comprises a sidewall of at least the same depth as the sidewall of the inner member and which completely surrounds the sidewall of the inner member, the outer member is movably fastened to the inner member such that the inner and outer members can rotate independently relative to each other and coaxially about their common centre, and the top wall of the inner member comprises at least one key receiving means, engagement of which enables the inner member to be rotated independently of the outer member.

2. A key releasable cap according to claim 1, wherein the innermost radius of the annular outer member is greater than the outermost radius of the inner member.

3. A key releasable cap according to claim 1 or claim 2, further comprising bearings positioned between the outer face of the sidewall of the inner member and the inner face of the side wall of the outer member which enable the coaxial rotation of inner and outer members relative to each other.

4. A key releasable cap according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the at least one key receiving means is positioned in the externally facing side of the top wall of the inner member.

5. A key releasable cap according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the key receiving means comprise an aperture.

6. A key releasable cap according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the key receiving means comprise a blind hole.

7. A key releasable cap according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the frictional force between the inner and outer members which resists relative movement of said inner and outer members is less than the frictional force between the internally threaded face of inner member and the externally threaded neck of a container when said key releasable cap is securely fastened on to said container.

8. A key for the key releasable cap of any of the preceding claims, the key comprising engagement means suitable for complementary engagement with the receiving means of the cap.

9. A key according to claim 8, wherein the key comprises a top wall with a circular peripheral edge and a cylindrical sidewall extending therefrom and wherein the engagement means extends from the internal face of the top wall.

10. A key according to claim 9, wherein the innermost radius of the cylindrical sidewall of the key is greater than the outermost radius of the outer member of the key releasable cap.

11. A key according to claim 10, wherein the innermost radius of the cylindrical sidewall of the key is sized such that there is a close tolerance fit of the key over and around the outermost radius of the outer member of the key releasable cap.

12. A key according to any of claims 8 to 11, wherein the key is of a complementary shape to the cap such that the inner face of the key sidewall abuts the outer member of the cap and the inner face of the key top wall abuts the top wall of the inner member of the cap.

13. A key according to any of claims 8 to 12, wherein the configuration of the engagement means is unique to the complementary configuration of the receiving means of the cap.

14. A key according to any of claims 8 to 13, wherein indicia on the key and cap indicate the cap to which the key corresponds.

5

15 A key according to claim 14, wherein the indicia comprise a colour.

16. A key according to claim 14 or 15, wherein the indicia comprise raised bumps suitable for reading by touch.

10

17. A key according to any of claims 8 to 16, further comprising an externally facing gripping surface