Tamper-indicating and child resistant cap and container assemblies

Abstract

A tamper-indicating and child resistant cap and container assembly, comprising a cap comprising: a cap top wall; a cap skirt having an inner wall which is at least partially threaded, and an outer wall having at least one squeezing location; at least one tamper-indicating band frangibly connected to a free end of the cap and having defined therethrough an opening; at least one tongue extending from the free end of the cap skirt which circumferentially spaced from the at least one squeezing location. The container has an open end and a neck, an outer wall of the neck being at least partially threaded and configured to cooperate with the at least partially threaded inner wall of the cap; and at least one protrusion extending from the outer wall of the container neck and configured to be received in the opening of the at least one tamper-indicating band.

1 . A tamper-indicating and child resistant cap and container assembly, comprising:
 a cap configured to engage with a neck of a container, the cap comprising:
 a cap top wall; 
 a cap skirt depending from the cap top wall, the cap skirt having an inner wall and an outer wall, the inner wall being at least partially threaded, and the outer wall having at least one squeezing location; 
 at least one tamper-indicating band frangibly connected to a free end of the cap, the at least one tamper-indicating band having defined therethrough an opening; 
 at least one tongue extending from the free end of the cap skirt, the at least one tongue being circumferentially spaced from the at least one squeezing location; 
   the container having an open end and a neck, an outer wall of the neck being at least partially threaded and configured to cooperate with the at least partially threaded inner wall of the cap;   at least one protrusion extending from the outer wall of the container neck and configured to be received in the opening of the at least one tamper-indicating band,   
       wherein the at least one tongue and the at least one protrusion are configured such that when the at least one tamper-indicating band is moved away from the at least one protrusion to release the protrusion from the opening, rotation of the cap on the container neck is delimited by abutment of the at least one tongue and the at least one protrusion, and the cap can further rotate on the container neck by squeezing the cap skirt at the at least one squeezing location to translate the at least one tongue away from the at least one protrusion. 
     
     
         2 . The tamper-indicating and child resistant cap and container assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one tamper-indicating band comprises a first tamper-indicating band having a first opening and a second tamper-indicating band having a second opening. 
     
     
         3 . The tamper-indicating and child resistant cap and container assembly of  claim 2 , wherein the first tamper-indicating band and the second tamper-indicating band are circumferentially spaced from one another. 
     
     
         4 . The tamper-indicating and child resistant cap and container assembly of  claim 3 , wherein the at least one tongue comprises a first tongue and a second tongue, the first tongue and the second tongue circumferentially separating the first tamper-indicating band and the second tamper-indicating band. 
     
     
         5 . The tamper-indicating and child resistant cap and container assembly of  claim 2 , wherein the first tamper-indicating band and the second tamper-indicating band are fully removable from the cap skirt when the frangible connections are broken. 
     
     
         6 . The tamper-indicating and child resistant cap and container assembly of  claim 2 , wherein each of the first tamper-indicating band and the second tamper-indicating band has a pull-tab disposed at one end thereof. 
     
     
         7 . The tamper-indicating and child resistant cap and container assembly of  claim 2 , wherein the at least one protrusion comprises a first protrusion and a second protrusion, the first and second protrusions configured to be received in the first and second openings, respectively, of the first and second tamper-indicating bands. 
     
     
         8 . The tamper-indicating and child resistant cap and container assembly of  claim 2 , wherein the at least partially threaded portion of the inner wall is at an upper portion of the cap. 
     
     
         9 . The tamper-indicating and child resistant cap and container assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the at least partially threaded portion of the container neck is at an upper portion of the container neck. 
     
     
         10 . The tamper-indicating and child resistant cap and container assembly of  claim 1 , further comprising a raised band on the neck from which the protrusion extends. 
     
     
         11 . The tamper-indicating and child resistant cap and container assembly of  claim 1 , further comprising a sealing ring extending from the cap top wall and configured to engage with the neck when the cap is screwed on the container. 
     
     
         12 . The tamper-indicating and child resistant cap and container assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the neck has a support ledge extending around the neck and spaced further from the open end of the container than the at least one protrusion. 
     
     
         13 . The tamper-indicating and child resistant cap and container assembly of  claim 1 , wherein an external diameter of a portion of the neck from which the protrusion extends is larger than an external diameter of a portion of the neck disposed closer to the open end of the container. 
     
     
         14 . The tamper-indicating and child resistant cap and container assembly of  claim 1 , wherein when the cap is screwed on the container, the inner wall of the cap is spaced from the outer wall of the container neck at the at least one squeezing location. 
     
     
         15 . The tamper-indicating and child resistant cap and container assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one squeezing location is between the at least partially threaded portion of the cap and the free end of the cap skirt. 
     
     
         16 . The tamper-indicating and child resistant cap and container assembly of  claim 1 , wherein, when the cap is crewed on the container, the at least one squeezing location of the cap is aligned with a portion of the neck between the at least partially threaded portion of the container neck and the at least one protrusion. 
     
     
         17 . The tamper-indicating and child resistant cap and container assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one squeezing location on the cap comprises a first squeezing location and a diametrically opposed second squeezing location. 
     
     
         18 . The tamper-indicating and child resistant cap and container assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the outer wall of the cap skirt comprises a plurality of ribs. 
     
     
         19 . A cap for a tamper-indicating and child resistant cap and container assembly, the cap comprising:
 a cap top wall;   a cap skirt depending from the cap top wall, the cap skirt having an inner wall and an outer wall, the inner wall being at least partially threaded, and the outer wall having at least one squeezing location;   at least one tamper-indicating band frangibly connected to a free end of the cap, the at least one tamper-indicating band having defined therethrough an opening; and   at least one tongue extending from the free end of the cap skirt, the at least one tongue being circumferentially spaced from the at least one squeezing location.   
     
     
         20 . A container for a tamper-indicating and child resistant cap and container assembly, the container comprising:
 an open end; and   a neck having an outer wall, the outer wall being at least partially threaded;   at least one protrusion extending from the outer wall of the container neck and configured to be received in an opening of at least one tamper-indicating band of the cap.