Child-Proof Sheet Material Container with Rotating Tab Hooking Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing child-proof containers are complex and costly to produce, requiring specific manufacturing methods and apparatuses, limiting their flexibility and increasing production costs, and they do not provide a safe closure mechanism that can be used with standard packaging.
Innovation Solution
A child-proof container with a simple and compact structure made from sheet material, featuring a closing system with rotatable tabs and hooking portions that engage to prevent opening by children, and a process for manufacturing using standard materials and existing production lines, allowing for flexible use and cost-effective production.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If child-proof containers use complex closure mechanisms with specific manufacturing requirements, then child safety is improved, but production costs and device complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The container is divided into two functional parts: a standard housing and a separate closing system. The closing system includes a tab with hooking portions that engage with the housing, while the opening device includes fingers that disengage these hooks. This segmentation allows the housing to remain simple and compatible with standard manufacturing, while the child-proof functionality is isolated to the closing system components.
Solution Approach 2:
The hooking portions act as intermediaries between the closing system and the housing. These hooks provide the child-proof mechanism by requiring specific disengagement actions (inserting opening device fingers through slits to release the hooks), while the rest of the housing structure can remain simple and compatible with standard manufacturing processes.
2Reliability
If child-proof containers require specialized manufacturing methods and apparatuses, then child safety functionality is achieved, but production costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The housing is designed to be universal and compatible with standard manufacturing processes used for ordinary containers. The closing system components (tab, hooking portions, slits) are simple elements that can be manufactured using conventional techniques, allowing the child-proof functionality to be added without requiring specialized manufacturing apparatuses or significantly increasing production costs.
3Reliability
If child-proof containers are designed with complex structures, then child resistance is improved, but flexibility in usage and adaptability decrease
Solution Approach 1:
By separating the child-proof functionality into distinct components (closing system with tabs and hooks, opening device with fingers) that can be independently manufactured and assembled, the design achieves child resistance while maintaining flexibility. The housing can be produced using standard methods, and the closing system can be adapted to different container types.
Solution Approach 2:
The closing system is designed to be self-contained, with the tab and hooking portions forming an integrated mechanism that automatically engages and disengages. The opening device uses simple fingers that insert through slits to release the hooks, providing a self-service opening mechanism that does not require complex external tools or procedures.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention refers to a child-proof container (1) comprising: a housing (2) made of sheet material defining an inner volume (3) and exhibiting a passage opening (5) delimited by a free edge (6), a closing system (7) made of sheet material configured for defining a closed and opened conditions of the housing (2), the closing system (7) comprises a tab (8) having a closing portion (9) movable with respect to the housing free edge. The container (1) comprises a safety device (11) made of sheet material exhibiting: a first hooking portion (12) carried by the tab (8), a second hooking portion (13) engaged with the housing (2). The first and second hooking portions (12, 13) are configured for stably engaging with each other in the closed condition of the closing system (7) and for defining a safety condition: the first and second hooking portions (12, 13), in the safety condition, are configured for preventing the closing system (7) from switching from the closed to the opened condition.