Child-resistant cap

Abstract

A child-resistant closure for a container includes an inner cap retained in an outer cap, the outer cap being rotatable with respect to the inner cap; the inner cap having a gripping surface on a circumferential sidewall; the outer cap having a circumferential lateral wall defining elongate cutouts that expose the gripping surface, the cutouts being sized and spaced to provide adequate contact area between a typical thumb of an adult and the exposed gripping surface to allow removal of the closure from a container and inadequate contact area between a typical thumb of a child.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A child-resistant closure for a container, comprising:
 an inner cap rotatably retained within an outer cap;   the inner cap including a top wall and a depending circumferential side wall having an interior surface and an exterior surface, threads on the interior surface of the side wall of the inner cap, and gripping features on the exterior surface of the side wall of the inner cap; and   the outer cap having an upper wall and a depending lateral wall, the lateral wall having an upper elongate cutout section exposing gripping features on a first section of the exterior surface of the sidewall of the inner cap, and a lower elongate cutout section exposing gripping features on a second section of the exterior surface of the sidewall of the inner cap, the upper cutout and the lower cutout together defining a bridge portion of the lateral wall extending between the upper and lower cutouts, the bridge portion covering a section of the sidewall between the upper and lower cutouts.   
     
     
         2 . The closure of  claim 1 , wherein the inner cap is rotatably retained within the outer cap by a circumferential lip portion that projects inwardly from an interior surface or lower edge of the lateral wall of the outer cap, and supports a lower edge of the side wall of the inner cap. 
     
     
         3 . The closure of  claim 1 , wherein the gripping features are a plurality of ribs. 
     
     
         4 . The closure of  claim 1 , wherein an upper surface of the top wall of the inner cap includes a first one-way ratchet ramp, and a lower surface of the upper wall of the outer cap includes a second one-way ratchet ramp, whereby the first one-way ratchet ramp and the second one-way ratchet ramp are engageable with each other to allow the inner cap and the outer cap to be rotated together when the closure is screwed onto a container, and the first one-way ratchet ramp and the second one-way ratchet ramp allow the outer cap to rotate freely with respect to the inner cap when the outer cap is rotated in an opposite direction unless there is a predetermined amount of contact between the exposed exterior surfaces of the side wall of the inner cap and the thumb of a person rotating the outer cap. 
     
     
         5 . The closure of  claim 1 , wherein an upper surface of the top wall of the inner cap includes a pair of one-way ratchet ramps, and a lower surface of the upper wall of the outer cap includes a second pair of one-way ratchet ramps, whereby the first pair of one-way ratchet ramp and the second pair of one-way ratchet ramp are engageable with each other to allow the inner cap and the outer cap to be rotated together when the closure is screwed onto a container, and the first pair of one-way ratchet ramp and the second pair of one-way ratchet ramp allow the outer cap to rotate freely with respect to the inner cap when the outer cap is rotated in an opposite direction unless there is a predetermined amount of contact between the exposed exterior surfaces of the side wall of the inner cap and the thumb of a person rotating the outer cap. 
     
     
         6 . The closure of  claim 1 , wherein the interior surface of the inner cap includes a stop that prevents the inner cap from being over-tightened onto a container, thereby facilitating removal of the closure from a container when pressure from an adult thumb is applied to the surfaces of the exterior surfaces of the sidewall of the inner cap exposed through the upper and lower cutouts of the lateral walls of the outer cap.