Child-Resistant Cap With Arcuate Beams And Matching Lugs
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing child-resistant caps for medicament dispensers are prone to damage, making them less effective, and they often allow residual medicament to be accessible to children, while being difficult for the elderly to open and requiring costly machinery for application.
Innovation Solution
A two-piece child-resistant closure system with matching numbers of complementary lugs and flexible beams, where the beams have an arcuate underside to prevent hyper-flexion, and a method for application and removal that eliminates the need for constant downward force, allowing easier use by the elderly and reducing residual medicament access.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If unequal numbers of lugs and beams are used in prior art caps, then the cap can be manufactured with simpler alignment, but the lugs and beams do not fully engage causing slippage and damage during rotation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses equal numbers of lugs and beams with complementary asymmetric shapes that provide both easy alignment and complete engagement. The asymmetric design of the lugs and beams with matching geometries ensures proper orientation while maintaining equal quantities for full engagement.
2Adaptability or versatility
If flexible lugs with angled undersides are used in prior art caps, then the lugs can flex during engagement, but the angled underside concentrates flexion at a specific point causing weakness and breakage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the angled underside with a curved surface that distributes flexion forces along a broader area. The curved geometry allows the lug to flex adaptively during engagement while preventing stress concentration at a single point, thereby maintaining structural integrity.
3Ease of operation
If free-floating outer cap design is used in prior art caps, then the cap can rotate unhindered during application, but the elderly and infirm have difficulty applying sufficient downward force to engage the lugs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates a pre-engagement mechanism that provides preliminary alignment and partial engagement before full closure. This preliminary action reduces the force required by elderly and infirm users while maintaining rotation freedom during the application process.
4Ease of operation
If prior art caps allow outer cap to float and rotate freely, then application is simple, but excess force or misalignment causes jamming and damage to cap components
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary alignment features that guide the outer cap into proper orientation before engagement. This preliminary action prevents misalignment and excessive force application, thereby avoiding jamming and component damage while maintaining simple application procedures.
Data Source
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AI summary
An improved child-resistant closure for dispensers of liquid medicaments, the closure being of a two-part construction. The closure has an outer cap with a quantity of shoulder lugs and skirt lugs and an inner cap with a quantity of shoulder lugs and flexible beams. The closure has equal quantities of shoulder lugs on the inner and outer caps, equal quantities of skirt lugs and flexible beams, flexible beams having an arcuate underside, shoulder lugs having a depth to prevent hyper-flexion of the flexible beams, and an ideal overlap when the faces of the shoulder lugs are aligned. Additionally, provided are methods for attaching and removing the cap from a pre-existing bottle.