Child Resistant Blister Package with Tab Strip Gate Mechanism
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional blister packages lack sufficient child resistance and senior friendliness, failing to meet the requirements for unit dose pharmaceutical packaging, particularly in terms of tamper-proofing against children and ease of use for users with reduced dexterity or strength.
Innovation Solution
A child-resistant packaging system that includes a blister pack sealed between two panels with a tab strip and pull tab mechanism, requiring coordinated motions of pressing and pulling to access items, incorporating security features like gates and tear-resistant layers to enhance child resistance while being senior-friendly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional blister packages are used, then items can be contained and protected, but child resistance is insufficient and senior friendliness is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The package is divided into multiple functional layers: a front panel with a gate, a rear panel with a tab strip, and a blister pack in between. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function - the gate provides child resistance while the tab strip provides senior-friendly access, resolving the contradiction between security and ease of operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The tab strip acts as an intermediary element between the user and the blister pack contents. It provides a mechanical advantage for seniors with reduced dexterity while maintaining child resistance through its integration with the gate mechanism. The tab strip mediates between the security requirement and the ease of operation requirement.
2Reliability
If child resistance features are added to blister packages, then tamper-proofing against children is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The child resistance features are merged with the existing blister pack structure rather than being added as separate components. The gate is integrated into the front panel, and the tab strip is combined with the rear panel, creating a unified structure that provides child resistance without significantly increasing overall complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The gate and tab strip structure serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides child resistance, enables senior-friendly access, and maintains the integrity of the blister pack. This multi-functionality reduces the need for additional separate components, thereby limiting the increase in device complexity.
3Reliability
If multiple security features are implemented, then child resistance is enhanced, but ease of manufacture decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The gate and tab strip are pre-formed and positioned during the assembly process rather than being added as separate steps. The front panel with the gate and the rear panel with the tab strip are prepared in advance and then assembled with the blister pack, streamlining the manufacturing process while maintaining security features.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses standard manufacturing parameters and materials for the gate and tab strip structures, adapting existing fabrication processes rather than requiring new ones. By using conventional materials and methods, the ease of manufacture is preserved while still achieving enhanced child resistance.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system effectively increases child resistance while maintaining ease of use for seniors, ensuring secure item access through a sequence of motions and providing structural integrity with tear-resistant layers.
Implementation Method 1
The packaging may include a tear-resistant layer to provide structural integrity and reinforcement to the child-resistant package
Implementation Method 2
pressure is applied to the corresponding blister to force an item to rupture the backing sheet of the blister pack and to gain access to an item
Data Source
AI summary
A package includes a blank having a face panel and a back panel. The face panel includes apertures and face tabs. The back panel includes gates that correspond with apertures, and tab strips that overlap the gates and are adjoined to back tabs. A blister pack is sealed between the face panel and the back panel whereby blisters align over gates and protrude through apertures. To remove an item from a blister, a tab is pressed out of the panels, a pull tab is pulled to move a slidable tab clear from the gate, and pressure is applied to force the item through the backing sheet of the blister pack and the gate.