Child-Resistant Closure With Cantilevered Slidable Lid
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing child-resistant closures are difficult for individuals with reduced gripping strength or limited dexterity to open, and may not effectively prevent children from accessing contents while allowing easy access for adults.
Innovation Solution
A polymeric child-resistant closure design featuring a cantilevered slidable lid with retention projections and a slide portal, assisted by elongated rails and gripping ridges, which allows for easy opening with minimal physical effort and includes a tamper-evident feature for secure access control.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a child-resistant closure is designed to prevent children from accessing contents, then child safety is improved, but the closure becomes difficult for individuals with reduced gripping strength or limited dexterity to open
Solution Approach 1:
The closure is divided into separate functional components: a body portion with a slide portal, a cantilevered lid with latch mechanism, and retention projections. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function - the latch mechanism provides child resistance while the cantilevered lid design enables easy manual operation through a simple pressing and sliding motion.
Solution Approach 2:
The retention projections act as intermediaries between the lid and body portion, providing a mechanical interface that guides the lid's movement and ensures proper alignment. These projections facilitate easy operation by providing tactile feedback and a clear mechanical path for opening, while still maintaining child resistance through the latch mechanism.
2Reliability
If a closure mechanism is made complex to ensure child resistance, then child safety is improved, but the device complexity increases making it harder to operate
Solution Approach 1:
The latch mechanism is extracted as a separate functional element within the closure system. By isolating the child resistance function into a distinct latch component that interfaces with the slide portal, the design achieves reliable child protection without requiring the entire closure mechanism to be complex. The latch can be independently manufactured and assembled.
Solution Approach 2:
The closure employs dynamic elements including the cantilevered lid that can rotate and slide, and the movable latch that engages and disengages based on user input. This dynamic design allows the mechanism to adapt to different user actions - requiring deliberate manipulation for opening while remaining passive and secure when closed, thereby reducing overall structural complexity.
3Reliability
If retention projections are added to prevent lid removal, then child safety is improved, but the ease of operation may be reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The retention projections are strategically positioned at specific locations on the lid's peripheral surface, providing localized retention function only where needed to prevent accidental removal. This localized approach does not interfere with the central operating area, allowing users to easily press and slide the lid without encountering resistance from retention features.
Solution Approach 2:
The retention function is segmented into discrete projections rather than a continuous restrictive structure. This segmentation allows the lid to be easily manipulated at the operating interface while the distributed retention projections provide cumulative security against unintended removal. The segmented design reduces operational friction compared to a monolithic retention mechanism.
Data Source
AI summary
A child-resistant closure includes a polymeric top portion, a polymeric annular skirt portion depending from the top portion, and a cantilevered slidable lid. The top portion includes a slide portal with a retention wall, and forms an opening. The cantilevered slidable lid includes a first portion and a second portion. The first and second portions have respective first ends and second ends. The second end of the first portion forms a latch. The first end of the second portion is spaced from the first portion and forms a cantilever. The second portion extends generally upwardly and inwardly from the first portion into an interior of the closure. The cantilevered slidable lid is adapted to move by pressing on the first end of the second portion to release the latch and sliding the cantilevered slidable lid along the slide portal.