WO2011054028A1

WO2011054028A1 - Anti-choke closure

Info

Publication number: WO2011054028A1
Application number: PCT/AU2010/001434
Authority: WO
Inventors: Thomas Thedal Himstedt
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2009-11-05
Filing date: 2010-10-27
Publication date: 2011-05-12
Anticipated expiration: 2012-05-05

Abstract

An anti-choke closure (1) for sealing a container (2) opening (3). The closure (1) comprises: a body (4) having a top wall (5) and a circular side wall (6); a container-sealing ring (8) extending along the top wall (5) for sealing the container opening (3); a connecting mechanism (screw thread 15) connectable to the container (2) so that the container-sealing ring (8) together with the top wall (5) seal the container opening (3); and a plurality of airflow passages (17, 29) extending through the top (5) and side (6) walls at a location other than within the container-sealing ring (8) so as to allow the flow of air there through. Should the closure (1) be ingested by a child and become lodged in that child's throat, the airflow passages (17, 29) will permit the child to continue breathing and not choke to death, regardless of the orientation of the closure (1) within the throat.

Description

ANTI-CHOKE CLOSURE

TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention broadly relates to a closure for sealing an opening in an article, such as a container. In particular, the invention concerns an anti-choke closure that permits the passage of air (fluid) there through should the closure by chance become lodged in a narrow passageway such as the throat of a child or pipe.

BACKGROUND ART

A problem with small caps and other types of small closures for containers and tubes is that they can be ingested by a child and become lodged in that child's throat. In such an instance, the child could choke to death.

A related problem is that small closures can become lodged by accident in a pipe and thus prevent fluid (gas or liquid) from flowing through the pipe. In such an instance, the blockage could cause the buildup of pressure, flooding or leakage, or damage to the pipe or related machinery.

The present inventor has now developed a closure for an article that minimises or overcomes a problem referred to above.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a closure for sealing an opening in an article, said closure comprising:

a body;

a sealing region extending along the body for sealing an opening in the article; and at least one flow passage extending through the body at a location other than through the sealing region that permits the flow of fluid through the body.

The closure may seal the opening of any suitable type of article in any suitable way. The article may be, for example, a pipe, tube, container or toy. Preferably, the article is a container and the opening is located in a neck of the container. Preferably, the closure is of a size that is ingestible by a child and the flow passage allows the flow of air there through should the closure become lodged in a throat of the child. In the event that the closure becomes lodged in a pipe or tube as used in a domestic or industrial setting, the closure may allow the flow of fluid (liquid or gas) there through such that the pipe or tube is not fully blocked/choked. According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an anti- choke closure for sealing an opening in an article such as a container, said closure comprising:

a body;

a sealing region extending along the body for sealing a container opening; and at least one flow passage extending through the body at a location other than through the sealing region that permits the flow of air through the body should the closure become lodged in a narrow passage, such as a child's throat.

Referring to both the first and second aspects of the invention, the body may be of any suitable size, shape and construction, and may be made of any suitable material or materials. The body may have an inner surface and an outer surface. The body may have a

r ^{' ■}

top wall and at least one side wall extending there from. The body may have one side wall, in which case it will be circular. Alternatively, the side wall may be rectangular, hexagonal, octagonal and so forth when viewed in plan. The side wall may have a grip to facilitate handling by a user. The side wall preferably extends substantially perpendicularly downwardly from the top wall. If desired, the side wall may only extend downwardly from the top wall in the general direction of the article, so as to minimise the overall length of the closure. The top wall may be substantially planar/flat so as to further minimise the overall length of the closure (ie. so that it can be squat rather than long).

The sealing region may be of any suitable size, shape and construction, and may be made of any suitable material or materials. The actual form of the sealing region may depend on whether the article/container contents are pressurised or non-pressurised. The shape of the sealing region may depend on the shape of the opening that the closure is to seal. The sealing region, when viewed in plan, may be circular, rectangular, hexagonal, octagonal and so forth.

In one embodiment, the sealing region is provided by an inner surface of the top wall of the closure, such as a substantially planar surface, that engages a rim/neck of the article/container opening.

In another embodiment, the sealing region is provided by a ring extending substantially perpendicularly from the top wall, in which case the ring engages either an inner surface of a neck/rim of the article/container or an outer surface of the neck/rim of the article/container (or possibly both if the ring has an annular groove). In yet another embodiment, the sealing region may be provided by a plastic or rubber insert that extends along the top wall within the body. The insert may be, for example, in the form of a disk or ring (o-ring), a wad of sorts. The insert may be press- fitted or adhered to the top wall. The sealing region of this embodiment is particularly suited for sealing pressurised contents.

In another embodiment, the sealing region is provided by both an inner surface of the top wall of the closure and a ring extending substantially perpendicularly of the inner surface, and both the inner surface and ring engage a neck/rim of the article/container opening. The inner surface of the top wall may be substantially planar, concave or convex, provided that it can seal the article/container opening.

The at least one flow passage may be of any suitable size and shape. It may be in the form of a round opening or a slit, for example. It may extend through the top wall and/or side wall of the body. Preferably, the closure has a plurality of flow passages. More preferably, the flow passages are spaced about a circumference of the top wall. Even more preferably, flow passages in the form of slits are regularly spaced about a circumference of the top wall where the side wall meets the top wall.

The flow passage or passages preferably allow sufficient air flow so that the child cannot choke to death or so that the closure can be dislodged before the child would normally choke to death.

Preferably, the flow passage or passages allow sufficient air flow through the body regardless of the actual orientation of the closure within the child's throat (or pipe if in an industrial or domestic setting). Preferably, the flow passage or passages each extend through the top wall and side wall of the body.

The closure may comprise a connecting mechanism connectable to the article/container so that the sealing region seals the article/container opening. Any suitable type of connecting mechanism may be used. The closure may be screwed, snap-fitted, friction-fitted, crimped or otherwise coupled with the article/container (e.g. bayonet coupling).

The closure may be of unitary construction or may comprise separate connectable pieces. The closure may be made of plastics material or metal, such as aluminium. Preferably, the closure is made of a single piece of moulded plastics material, preferably food-grade plastic. If the closure is a complicated part, eg. a flip-top cap, then the flow passage(s) may extend all of the way through the secondary parts, thus allowing flow without hindering the sealing or user-friendliness of the article/container.

In a first embodiment, the connecting mechanism may comprise a thread that screws to a like thread of the container. In this embodiment, preferably the thread winds around the inner surface of the side wall of the body.

In a second embodiment, the connecting mechanism may comprise a flange extending from the side wall that snap-fits to a complimentary formation of the article/container.

In a third embodiment, the side wall of the body may friction fit to a neck/rim of the article/container.

In a fourth embodiment, the side wall of the body may be crimped to a neck/rim of the article/container.

The closure may comprise other known features of commercially available closures such as, for example, a tamper-evident collar or a. secondary seal such as a shrink-sleeve.

According to a third preferred aspect of the present invention, there is provided an anti-choke closure for sealing a container opening, said closure comprising:

a body comprising a top wall and at least one side wall extending from the top wall; a container-sealing ring extending along the top wall for sealing a container opening;

a connecting mechanism connectable to the container so that the container-sealing ring seals the container opening; and

a plurality of airflow passages extending through the top wall and/or the side wall at a location other than within the container-sealing ring so as to allow the flow of air there through.

The third aspect of the invention may have features as described in respect of the first and second aspects (and vice-versa as well).

Preferred embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view of a closure screwed to a container (article), according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 is a perspective view of the closure shown in Figure 1;

■ Figure 3 is a top view of the closure shown in Figure 1 ;

Figure 4 is a bottom perspective view of the closure shown in Figure 1 ;

Figure 5 is a side elevation view of part of the closure shown in Figure 1;

Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view of a closure fitted to a container (article), according to an embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 7 is a top side perspective view of a closure for a container (article), according to an embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 8 is a bottom side perspective view of the closure shown in Figure 7;

Figure 9 is a side elevation view of the closure shown in Figure 7;

Figure 10 is a bottom view of the closure shown in Figure 7;

Figure 11 is a top view of the closure shown in Figure 7;

Figure 12 is a cross-sectional view (section A-A) of the closure of Figure 11 ; and Figure 13 is a cross-sectional view (section B-B) of the closure of Figure 11.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

In the figures like reference numerals refer to like features.

Figures 1-5 show an anti-choke closure 1 for sealing a container (article) 2 opening 3, as shown in Figure 1. The container 2 in this embodiment is a plastic bottle for containing liquid, having a neck 20 and an opening/mouth 3. Alternatively, the container 2 could be a tube of toothpaste, for example. The closure 1 is of a small size and can be ingested swallowed by a child and become lodged in the child's throat.

The closure 1 includes a plastic body 4 having a top wall 5 and a circular side wall 6 extending perpendicularly from the top wall 5. The body 4 has an outer surface 11 and an inner surface 12.

The closure 1 includes a container-sealing ring 8 extending along the top wall 5 and proud of the top wall 5 for sealing the container 2 opening 3, as shown in Figure 1. The sealing ring 8 is of unitary construction with the top wall 5. The sealing ring 8 in this embodiment is tapered 9 and engages an inner surface of the container 2 neck 20.

The closure 1 includes a connecting mechanism 15 connectable to the neck 20 of the container 2 so that the sealing ring 8 seals the container opening 3. As seen in Figure 1, the connecting mechanism 15 is a thread 15 that winds around the inner surface 12 of the body 4. The thread 15 screws to an external thread 22 of the neck 20 of the container 2. The closure 1 includes six airflow passages 17 extending through body 4 at the top 5 and side wall 6 junction. That is/the passages 17 are located in both the top wall 5 and side wall 6. The airflow passages 17 permit the flow of air there through yet do not interfere with the sealing action of the sealing ring 8. Figure 1 shows, in phantom, the position of yet a potential further (lateral) airflow passage 29 in the side wall 6.

Figure 6 shows a closure 30 according to another embodiment. The closure 30 includes a plastic body 34 having a top wall 35 and a circular side wall 36 extending perpendicularly from the top wall 35. The body 34 has an outer surface and an inner surface 42.

The closure 30 includes a container-sealing ring 38 extending along the top wall 35 and proud of the top wall 35 for sealing a container opening 53. The sealing ring 38 is of unitary construction with the top wall 35. The sealing ring 38 in this embodiment is tapered and engages an inner surface of the container neck.

The closure 30 includes airflow passages 57, 58 extending through the top 35 and side walls 36 of the body 34. The airflow passages 57, 58 permit the flow of air there through yet do not interfere with the sealing action of the sealing ring 38.

The closure 30 can either friction-fit to the container neck or can screw to the neck (screw threads not shown in Figure 6).

Figures 7-12 show an anti-choke closure 60 for sealing a container (article) like the one shown in Figure 1. The closure 60 is of a small size and can be ingested swallowed by a child and become lodged in the child's throat.

The closure 60 includes a plastic body 61 having a top wall 62 and a highly (undulating) ribbed circular side wall 63 extending from the top wall 62. The body 61 has an outer surface 64 and an inner surface 65.

The closure 60 includes a container-sealing ring 66 extending along the top wall 62 and proud of the top wall 62 for sealing the container opening. The sealing ring 66 is of unitary construction with the top wall 62. The sealing ring 66 in this embodiment is tapered and engages a rim of the container neck.

The closure 60 includes a connecting mechanism connectable to the neck of the container so that the sealing ring 66 seals the container opening. As seen in Figures 8, 12 arid 13, the connecting mechanism is a thread 68 that winds around the inner surface 65 of the body 61. The thread 67 screws to an external thread of the neck of the container. The closure 60 includes eighteen airflow passages 69 extending through body 61 at the top 62 and side wall 63 junction. That is, each airflow passage 69 extends within both part of the top wall 62 and part of the side wall 63. The airflow passages 69 permit the flow of air there through into the body's 61 interior yet do not interfere with the sealing action of the sealing ring 66.

The closure 60 has a tamper-evident collar 70 extending around a lower end of the side wall 63.

In use, the closure 1, 30, 60 is screwed fitted to the container neck (20) and the sealing ring 8, 38, 66 and inner surface 12, 42, 65 of the top wall 5, 35, 62 of the closure 1, 30, 60 seal the container opening (e.g. small bottle or tube of toothpaste). The airflow passages 17, 29, 57, 58, 69, located externally of the sealing ring 8, 38, 66 do not interfere with the sealing of the opening. Should the closure 1, 30, 60 be removed from the neck and ingested by a child and become lodged in that child's throat, the airflow passages 17, 29, 57, 58, 69 will permit the child to continue breathing and not choke to death, regardless of the orientation of the closure 1, 30, 60 within the throat. Likewise, the closure 1, 30, 60 will allow the flow of fluid (air, gas liquid etc.) there through should it become lodged in a pipe or tube in an industrial or domestic setting.

Other advantages of each closure 1 , 30, 60 as exemplified include:

• it is of unitary construction and can be readily manufactured by plastic moulding; · less plastics material may be used than with conventional closures/caps, and hence it is cheaper to manufacture; and

• it can be of highly ornamental design due to the manufacturing process.

The foregoing embodiments are illustrative only of the principles of the invention, and various modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art. The invention is capable of being practiced and carried out in various ways and in other embodiments. It is also to be understood that the terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.

The term "comprise" and variants of the term such as "comprises" or "comprising" are used herein to denote the inclusion of a stated integer or stated integers but not to exclude any other integer or any other integers, unless in the context or usage an exclusive interpretation of the term is required.

Claims

1. A closure for sealing an opening in an article, said closure comprising:

a body;

2. The closure of claim 1, wherein the closure is an anti-choke closure that permits the flow of fluid through the body should the closure become lodged in a narrow passageway, such as a child's throat or pipe.

3. The closure of claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the body comprises a top wall having an inner surface, and at least one side wall extending from the top wall.

4. The closure of claim 3, wherein the sealing region is provided by the inner surface of the top wall that engages a rim or neck of the article's opening.

5. The closure of claim 3, wherein the sealing region is provided by a ring extending substantially perpendicularly of the top wall, and said ring engages a rim or neck of the article's opening.

6. The closure of claim 3, wherein the sealing region is provided by both the inner surface of the top wall of the closure and a ring extending substantially perpendicularly of the inner surface, and both the inner surface and said ring engage a rim or neck of the article's opening.

7. The closure of claim 5 or claim 6, wherein the ring is tapered.

8. The closure of any one of claims 3 to 7, wherein the flow passage extends through the top wall and/or side wall of the body.

9. The closure of claim 8, wherein the flow passage extends through both the top wall and the side wall of the body.

10. The closure of any one of claims 3 to 9 comprising a plurality of said flow passages.

11. The closure of claim 10, wherein said plurality of flow passages are spaced about a circumference of the top wall where the side wall meets the top wall.

12. The closure of any one of claims 3 to 12, wherein the side wall extends only downwardly from the top wall in the general direction of the article.

13. The closure of any one of claims 3 to 12, wherein said at least one flow passage allows sufficient air flow through the body regardless of the actual orientation of the closure if lodged within a child's throat.

14. The closure of any one of claims 3 to 13 further comprising a connecting mechanism connectable to the article so that the sealing region seals the opening in the article.

15. The closure of claim 14, wherein the connecting mechanism comprises a screw thread that winds around an inner surface of the side wall.

16. The closure of any one of claims 3 to 15 further comprising a tamper-evident collar connected to the side wall of the body.

17. The closure of any one of claims 3 to 16, wherein the closure is made of a single piece of moulded plastics material.

18. An anti-choke closure for sealing a container opening, said closure comprising:

a body comprising a top wall and at least one side wall extending from the top wall; a container-sealing ring extending along the top wall for sealing a container opening; a connecting mechanism connectable to the container so that the container-sealing ring seals the container opening; and

19. The anti-choke closure of claim 18, wherein the ring is tapered.

20. The anti-choke closure of claim 18 or claim 19, wherein the airflow passages extend through both the top wall and side wall of the body. .

■21. The anti-choke closure of any one of claims 18 to 20, wherein the airflow passages are spaced about a circumference of the top wall where the side wall meets the top wall.

22. The anti-choke closure of any one of claims 18 to 21, wherein the airflow passages are in the form of slits.

23. The anti-choke closure of any one of claims 18 to 22, wherein the airflow passages allow sufficient air flow through the body regardless of the actual orientation of the closure if lodged within a child's throat.

24. The anti-choke closure of any one of claims 18 to 23, wherein the side wall extends only downwardly from the top wall in the general direction of the article.

25. The anti-choke closure of any one of claims 18 to 23, wherein the closure is made of a single piece of moulded plastics material.