Senior friendly child resistant closure

Abstract

A child-resistant closure for a container having an externally threaded neck finish includes an assembly of an inner cap and an outer shell. The inner cap includes internal threads for engaging the externally threaded neck finish of the container. The inner cap and outer shell include mutually engageable stops to allow closing rotation of the closure relative to the container and prohibit opening rotation of the closure relative to the container. The inner cap and outer shell also include mating components that, when aligned and engaged, will allow opening rotation of the closure relative to the container when a compressive force is applied to a flexible area on the outer shell.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A closure for a container having threads and an open end, said closure comprising:
 an inner cap, said inner cap including a top for covering the open end of the container and a sidewall, the sidewall including a lower edge portion and extending between the top and the lower edge portion, the sidewall including an outer surface and an inner surface, wherein a portion of the inner surface is threaded, said inner cap being detachably securable to the container by rotational engagement of the threads of the container and the threaded portion of the inner surface of the inner cap sidewall;   an outer shell, said inner cap residing within said outer shell, said outer shell including a sidewall, the outer shell sidewall including a bendable area, an outer surface and an inner surface, the inner surface facing, at least in part, the outer surface of the inner cap sidewall,   wherein said inner cap and said outer shell include mutually engageable stops preventing opening rotation of said inner cap relative to the container without compression of the bendable area, and wherein compression of the bendable area engages the inner surface of the outer shell sidewall with the outer surface of the inner cap sidewall to allow opening rotation of said closure relative to the container.   
     
     
         2 . The closure of  claim 1 , wherein said inner cap is concentrically mounted and retained within said outer shell by a snap bead formed on the inner surface of said outer shell. 
     
     
         3 . The closure of  claim 1 , wherein said outer shell includes a lower edge portion and the bendable area is in close proximity to the lower edge portion of said outer shell. 
     
     
         4 . The closure of  claim 3 , wherein the lower edge portion of said outer shell is radially opposite the lower edge portion of said inner cap. 
     
     
         5 . The closure of  claim 1 , wherein said outer shell includes a top portion, wherein the top portion of said outer shell covers a portion of the top of said inner cap. 
     
     
         6 . The closure of  claim 1 , wherein said mutually engageable stops of said inner cap and said outer shell include a ratchet tooth on the inner surface of the outer shell sidewall and a ratchet tooth on the outer surface of the inner cap sidewall, wherein rotation of said outer shell in one direction relative to said inner cap engages the ratchet tooth on the inner surface of the outer shell sidewall and the ratchet tooth on the outer surface of the inner cap sidewall and rotation of said outer shell in an opposite direction relative to said inner cap does not engage the ratchet tooth on the inner surface of the outer shell sidewall and the ratchet tooth on the outer surface of the inner cap sidewall. 
     
     
         7 . The closure of  claim 1 , wherein the inner surface of the outer shell sidewall and the outer surface of the inner cap sidewall include mating components, wherein when the mating components are aligned and engaged by compression applied to the bendable area, the closure is more easily rotated opened relative to the container than when the mating components are not aligned and engaged by compression applied to the bendable area. 
     
     
         8 . The closure of  claim 1 , wherein the mating components comprise a dovetail on the inner surface of the outer shell sidewall opposite the bendable area and a pin notch formed in the outer surface of the inner cap sidewall. 
     
     
         9 . The closure of  claim 1 , wherein the mating components comprise a lug projecting from the inner surface of the outer shell sidewall opposite the bendable area and a notch formed in the outer surface of the inner cap sidewall. 
     
     
         10 . The closure of  claim 1 , wherein a flange extends radially outward from the inner cap sidewall below the lower edge portion of the outer shell sidewall, the flange including a first indicator and a lower edge portion of the outer shell sidewall including a second indicator, wherein alignment of the first indicator with the second indicator provides indication of a location where mating components of the inner surface of the outer shell sidewall and the outer surface of the inner cap sidewall are aligned and engageable when compression is applied to the bendable area to assist in rotating said closure in relation to the container. 
     
     
         11 . A closure for a container, said closure comprising:
 an inner cap, said inner cap including a top and a sidewall, the sidewall including a lower edge portion and extending between the top and the lower edge portion, the sidewall including an outer surface and an inner surface, wherein a portion of the inner surface is configured to engage with a container to prevent access to contents within the container;   an outer shell, said inner cap residing within said outer shell, said outer shell including a top portion and a sidewall extending between the top portion and a lower edge portion, the outer shell sidewall including an outer surface and an inner surface, the inner surface facing, at least in part, the outer surface of the inner cap sidewall,   wherein said inner cap and said outer shell include mutually engageable stops allowing rotation of said inner cap relative to said outer shell in one direction and preventing rotation of said inner cap relative to said outer shell in an opposite direction when compression is not applied to the outer shell sidewall outer surface, and wherein, when compression is applied to the outer shell sidewall outer surface, the inner surface of the outer shell sidewall engages with the outer surface of the inner cap sidewall to allow rotation of said inner cap and said outer shell together in the opposite direction.