Reclosable child resistant package

Abstract

Disclosed is a reclosable child resistant package having a front panel and a back panel that are connected together at their bottom, left, and right sides. The tops of these panels have closing means preferably consisting of a projection extending from the interior surface, near the top, of the front panel and a cooperating depression in the interior surface, near the top, of the back panel. The package is closed by squeezing the tops of the two panels together, forcing the projection into the cooperating depression. Part of the child resistant feature requires that there is insufficient material above said closing means to grasp for opening the package. The package is opened by moving the front panel with respect to the back panel, as indicated. This movement causes the panels to flex removing a portion of the projection from the depression. This causes the tops of the panels to separate a sufficient amount so as to allow one to grasp the tops of the panels to pull them apart, to fully open the package. The required movement of the panels with respect to each other for package opening is the main child resistant feature. This feature is enhanced by requiring that the package be gripped in a specific location when moving these panels.

Description

FIELD OF INVENTION [0001] This invention provides child resistant packaging (CRP) for household products especially pills and capsules. That is, safety packaging having features that make it difficult for most children to open yet is easily opened by most adults as required by the regulations administered by the Consumer Product Safety Commission. While this invention is directed at products that require CRP it is not limited to these products. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] The United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) requires that certain products for household use be packaged in safety packaging or as it is commonly called child resistant packaging (CRP). Prescription drugs (RX) and certain over the counter (OTC) medications are among the products regulated. The majority of the child resistant packaging used for packaging pills and capsules is composed of reclosable packages consisting of containers, sometimes called a vial, and closures; and single use package...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0008] The front and back panels of the package can be composed of a single layer of plastic material or multiple layers of material(s) of sufficient thickness so as to provide desirable characteristics such as moisture resistance, ultra violet light resistance, and tear resistance as might be expected by children using their teeth to gain access to the package contents. Further these panels can be designed with characteristics that make them resistant to opening by pinching the front panel with one hand and the back panel with the other hand and pulling the panels apart. These characteristics include, but are not limited to the stiffness or flexibility of the material and the frictional properties of the surface of the panels.

[0009] To provide a child resistant feature it is anticipated that the package would need to be gripped by the consumer in a specific location to open the preferred package by manipulating the panels as previously described. The specific locations where the package is to be gripped, between the thumb and finger, could be indicated by indicia on the front and back panels of the package. To the left and or right of the indicia the interior of the panels could have a series of projections designed such that they would prevent or restrict movement of one panel with respect to the other. The upper area of the package, that does not include the area indicated to be used for opening the package, can have means on the interior of the panels that would prevent the panels from sliding with respect to each other when the panels are gripped in a location other than that indicated.

[0010] One such means could be ridges of material protruding from the interior of the panels such that pressing the panels together and slight vertical movement, causes the sides of these ridges to abut and prevents the panels from sliding with respect to each other; thus making it necessary for the consumer to grasp the package in a specific location to open the package by the intended method.

[0011] The proposed package prior to filling is flat. Therefore a label can be secured to one side of the package with relative ease. When the package is filled the consumer will have full view of the entire label rather than having to rotate the package to read the entire label as is the case with the current cylindrical packages. While it is anticipated that a label would be attached to the package, the information contained thereon could be printed directly on the package using a printer specifically designed for that purpose.

Problems solved by technology

Nor is there a zipper like device attached to the exterior of the interlocking strips for the purpose of opening and or closing the package by sliding the device along the length of the strips.

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