GB2135290A - Adhesive dispenser - Google Patents

Abstract

An adhesive dispenser 1 comprising a container 2 and an associated cap 3, the container 2 and cap 3 having a complementary lug 8 and recess 7 combination which snap fits to hold the cap 3 on the container 2, the cap 3 or container 2 being resiliently deformable under manual pressure to disengage the combination, thereby permitting removal of the cap 3 from the container 2. When the cap 3 is pushed onto the container 2 locating slots 9, on the container 2, each associated with a single recess 7 act to guide each lug 8 into its corresponding recess 7. The container has a nozzle 4 with a sealed frangible tip 5. In one embodiment of the dispenser the frangible tip 5 may conveniently be snapped off by inserting the tip 5 into a recess (not shown) provided within the cap 3 and then twisting the cap 3 relative to the container 2. The invention provides a useful adhesive dispenser 1 resistant to opening by children. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Adhesive dispenser This invention relates to an adhesive dispenser, and in particular to a dispenser designed to resist opening by children.

Certain adhesives, particularly cyanoacrylate adhesives, are potentially dangerous materials and it would clearly be desirable to keep them in dispensers which are constructed so as to be difficult or impossible for children to open.

Such a dispenser has now been designed which utilises a snap fit arrangement between a container and its cap.

According to the present invention, there is provided an adhesive dispenser comprising a container and an associated cap, the container and cap having a complementary lug and recess combination which snap fits to hold the cap on the container, the cap or container being resiliently deformable under manual pressure to disengage the combination, thereby permitting removal of the cap from the container.

Preferably, the cap has two parallel walls connected by two shorter walls, and disengagement of the combination is achieved by compressing manually the two shorter walls towards each other.

The cap may have a lug located about half way along one of the parallel walls, which engages a corresponding recess in the container.

Preferably, each parallel wall has a lug engaging a corresponding recess in the container.

The lugs are preferably formed on the inside of the cap, and engage recesses formed on the outside of the container.

The cap and container may have similar cross sectional shapes so that the closed dispenser presents a neat exterior appearance.

In a preferred form of the present invention the container is provided with a locating slot corresponding to each recess, each locating slot being separated from the corresponding recess by a wall, so that on pushing the cap onto the container a lug is guided into a corresponding slot, rides over the wall and is thereby guided into the corresponding recess.

A particularly suitable locating slot is one which is tapered, tapering towards the wall separating the slot from the recess.

In a further aspect of the present invention the container is provided with a nozzle outlet having a sealed, frangible tip.

Advantageously, the cap may be provided with a means for snapping off the frangible tip from the nozzle.

One preferred means for snapping off the frangible tip is that wherein the cap is provided with at least one enclosed recess into which the tip may be inserted and on relative rotation between the cap and the container, the tip bears against opposing sides of the recess and is snapped off by the resulting shearing force.

The dispenser is preferably made of plastics material which does not react with the adhesive.

Two embodiments of the invention are now described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of an adhesive dispenser showing the cap in position on the container; Figure 2 is a front elevation of the container shown in Fig. 1; Figure 3 is a side elevation, partly in section, of the container of Fig. 2; Figure 4 is a plan view of the dispenser of Fig. 1; Figure 5 is a vertical sectional view of an alternative construction of adhesive dispenser; and, Figure 6 is a plan view of the dispenser of Fig. 5 Referring to Figs. 1, 4 and 6 of the drawings, an adhesive dispenser 1 comprises a generally oval cross-sectional shaped adhesive container 2 for cyanoacrylate adhesive, and a similarly cross-sectional shaped cap 3.As is more clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the container 2 has a sealed nozzle 4 terminating in a tip 5 which is removeable by pinching or cutting off at a wall portion 6 of reduced thickness.

A recess 7 is formed each side of the body of the container 2, just beneath the nozzle 4, and each recess 7 can accomodate a lug 8 formed on the inside wall of the cap 3. The bottom end of the nozzle 4 leads into a downwardly tapered slot 9 terminating at a wall 10 which separates the slot 9 from the recess 7. The bottom of the recess 7 is bounded by a ledge 11 which encircles the container 2 and provides an abutting support for the cap 3, as is shown in Fig. 1.

The top of the cap 3 is formed with a hollow conical projection 1 2 which fits over the nozzle 4 and seals the nozzle outlet when the cap 3 rests on the ledge 11.

The walls of the cap 3 are resilient so that when the cap 3 is pushed down onto the container 2 the lugs 8 are guided into the slots 9, ride up the walls 10, and snap into position into the recesses 7. To assist this action, the lugs 8 are chamfered to provide camming surfaces 1 3 which bear against the walls 10 during movement.

As is shown in Figs. 4 and 6 the cap 3 has two parallel side walls 14 connected by two shorter curved end walls 1 5. The thickness of each side wall 1 4 is such that it is equal to the amount by which the ledge 11 extends beyond the face of the wall 10, so as to provide the dispenser 1 with a smooth exterior when the cap 3 is placed on the container 2. This thickness dimension is less than the width of the ledge 11 in the region of the shorter curved end walls 15, as can be seen by comparing Figs. 2, -3 and 4.

Accordingly, in order to remove the cap 3 from the container 2, the end walls 15 are slightly compressed towards each other, between finger and thumb, and the degree of inward movement -of -walls 15 along the ledge 11 is sufficient to force the side walls 14 outwardly and to disengage the lugs 8 from the recesses 7. The cap 3 can then be lifted off the container 2.

The above operation is very difficult for children to perform, but does not present any great problem for adults.

Referring to Figs. 5 and 6, the sealed nozzle 4 terminates in a tip 5 of elliptical cross section, the minor axis of the ellipse being smaller than the internal diameter of the conical projection 12 so as to provide a gap 20 between the projection 1 2 and the tip 5.

The cap 3 is formed with four web portions 21, connecting the projection 1 2 to the end walls 15, so as to provide a pair of enclosed recesses 22 between the projection 1 2 and walls 1 5. By mean of this construction, the cap 3 may be removed from the container 2, inverted and placed over the nozzle 4 so that the tip 5 is positioned within a recess 22.

Then, by twisting the cap 3 the tip 5 will bear on the web portions 21 and the resultant shearing force will snap the tip 5 off the nozzle 4 so that the dispenser is ready for use.

It will, of course, be appreciated that more lugs and recesses can be provided if desired, or that the lugs can be on the container and the recesses on the cap, without departing from the scope of the invention.

Claims (11)

1. An adhesive dispenser comprising a container and an assoeiated cap, the container and cap having a complementary lug and recess combination which snap fits to hold the cap on the container, the cap or container being resiliently deformable under manual pressure to disengage the combination, thereby permitting removal of the cap from the container.

2. ' An adhesive dispenser as claimed in claim 1, wherein the cap has two parallel walls connected by two shorter walls, and disengagement of the combination is achieved by compressing manually the two shorter walls towards each other.

3. An adhesive dispenser as claimed in claim 2, wherein the cap may have a lug located about half way along one of the parallel walls, which engages a corresponding recess in the container.

4. An adhesive dispenser as claimed in claim 3, wherein each parallel wall has a lug engaging a corresponding recess in the container.

5. An adhesive dispenser as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the lugs are formed on the inside of the cap, and engage recesses formed on -the -outside of the container.

6. An adhesive dispenser as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5, -wherein the container is provided with a locating slot corre- sponding to each recess, each locating -slot being separa;ted from the corresponding recess by a wall, so that on pushing the cap onto the container a lug is gu.ided into the corresponding slot, rides over the wall and is thereby guided into the corresponding recess.

7. An adhesive dispenser as claimed in claim 6, wherein the slot is tapered, tapering towards the wall separating the slot from the recess.

8. An adhesive dispenser as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the container is provided with a nozzle outlet having a sealed, frangible tip

9. An adhesive dispenser as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the cap is provided with a means for snapping off the frangible tip from the nozzle.

10. An adhesive dispenser as claimed in claim 9, wherein the cap is provided with at least one enclosed recess into which the tip is inserted and on relative rotation between the cap and the container, the tip bears against opposing sides of the recess and is snapped off by the resulting shearing force.

11. An adhesive dispenser substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the drawings in Figs. 1 to 4.

1 2. An adhesive dispenser substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the drawings in Figs. 5 and 6.