Child-Proof Cap with Segmented Bayonet Locking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Child safety is compromised due to the risk of unauthorized access to chemically aggressive substances in dispensing devices, particularly when children mistake the contents for edible items, leading to potential poisoning or chemical burns.
Innovation Solution
A child-proof closure mechanism for dispensing devices with bayonet fastening means, requiring coordination of multiple movement sequences and additional force to open, which prevents unauthorized access by children, utilizing a safety cap with sawtooth engagement elements and a tongue-and-groove connection for secure locking.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a simple closure cap is used for the dispensing device, then the device is easy to operate and access, but children can easily open it and potentially ingest harmful substances
Solution Approach 1:
The closure system is divided into two separate components: a closure element that attaches to the dispensing device and a safety cap that covers the closure element. This segmentation creates a two-step opening process where the safety cap must be removed first, then the closure element can be opened. The separation of these functions ensures that children cannot accidentally open the device while maintaining ease of operation for adults who understand the sequence.
Solution Approach 2:
The safety cap serves as a preliminary protective measure that must be removed before the closure element can be opened. This preliminary action creates an additional barrier that children are unlikely to overcome, while adults can easily perform the sequence. The safety cap remains in place until deliberately removed, preventing unauthorized access while maintaining accessibility for intended users.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If a child-proof closure mechanism with multiple movement sequences is implemented, then child safety is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the closure into two independent components (closure element and safety cap), the complexity is distributed rather than concentrated. Each component has a simple, single-function design: the closure element attaches to the dispensing device with bayonet fastening, and the safety cap simply covers it. The complexity arises only from the sequential interaction between the two components, which is managed through their independent simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The safety cap acts as an intermediary element between the external environment and the closure element. It provides the child-proof function without requiring complex mechanisms itself. The safety cap's simple cover-and-remove design mediates the interaction, creating safety through its presence rather than through complex locking mechanisms.
3Reliability
If the safety cap is made elastically deformable to engage with the closure element, then the locking reliability is improved, but the manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The safety cap utilizes elastic deformation as a key parameter to achieve reliable engagement. By designing the safety cap from elastomeric or plastic material that can elastically deform, the engagement elements can flex to accommodate minor dimensional variations in the closure element. This parameter change approach allows the system to accommodate manufacturing tolerances while maintaining reliable locking, as the elastic deformation compensates for precision variations.
Solution Approach 2:
The elastomeric or plastic material is applied locally to the engagement elements and the portion of the safety cap that contacts the closure element. This localized application of elastic properties provides the necessary flexibility and compliance for reliable engagement without requiring the entire safety cap to be made from precision materials. The local quality approach allows standard manufacturing tolerances to be met while achieving reliable locking through the elastic properties of the specific engagement areas.
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 child-proof closure effectively prevents premature mixing of components and unauthorized access by ensuring that children cannot open the device, thereby safeguarding against accidental ingestion or exposure to harmful substances.
Implementation Method 1
The safety cap is at least partially designed to be elastically deformable in such a way that the first and second engagement elements can be brought into engagement with one another by pressing the safety cap against the closure element
Data Source
Figure 1
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Figure 4~5
AI summary
Childproof lock for a dispensing device (5) with first bayonet mounting means (20), wherein the lock (40, 50, 80, 100) has second bayonet mounting means (21). One of the two bayonet mounting means (20, 21) has bayonet lugs (30, 32) which can be inserted into corresponding base elements (25, 27) of the other bayonet mounting means (20, 21). Both bayonet mounting means (20, 21) also have coding elements (13, 23, 35, 38) for a predetermined orientation of the lock (40, 50, 80, 100) and the dispensing device (5). The closure (40, 50, 80, 100) has a closure element (40, 50) with first engagement elements (43, 70) and a safety cap (80, 100) with second engagement elements (75, 130) that at least partially covers the closure element (40, 50).The locking cap (80, 100) and the locking element (40, 50) are connected in a separable yet rotatable manner by means of positive locking elements (58, 60, 90, 120). The locking cap (80, 100) is at least partially designed to be elastically deformable such that the first and second engagement elements (43, 70, 75, 130) can be brought into engagement with each other by pressing the locking cap (80, 100) against the locking element (40, 50).