Child Resistant Dial Pack with Oval Aperture and Dial Key
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing child-resistant packaging solutions are not adequately effective in preventing children from accessing medications due to design vulnerabilities that allow easy manipulation by young hands.
Innovation Solution
A blister-type container featuring a tray with radially arranged compartments around a central hub and a cover with a locking mechanism, where the tray is designed to be difficult for children to rotate, and the cover can be easily opened by adults to access the contents.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the tray is designed to be easily rotated for adult access, then ease of operation is improved, but child resistance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The tray incorporates a non-circular aperture with an oval opening that accepts a specially shaped dial key. This local geometric feature creates asymmetric interaction: adult fingers can easily manipulate the oval-shaped key to rotate the tray, while child fingers cannot grasp or manipulate the non-circular aperture effectively, thus achieving differential ease of operation between adults and children
Solution Approach 2:
A dial key serves as an intermediary tool between the adult user and the tray rotation mechanism. The dial key with its oval cross-section acts as a mediator that adults use to rotate the tray by inserting it through the non-circular aperture and applying rotational force, while children lack the dexterity to manipulate this intermediary tool, thereby resolving the contradiction between ease of operation and child resistance
2Reliability
If the container uses a complex locking mechanism to prevent child access, then child resistance is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The container employs a self-service locking mechanism where the tray and cover are automatically locked together through a simple rotational engagement of the non-circular aperture with corresponding features on the cover. The design uses the tray's own rotational motion to engage or disengage the locking action without requiring separate complex locking components, buttons, or additional mechanisms, thus achieving high child resistance with minimal device complexity
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of using a traditional locking mechanism that requires active engagement to secure, the design inverts the approach by using a rotational aperture system where the tray must be rotated in a specific direction to either lock or unlock. This inverted mechanism uses the absence of proper rotational alignment to prevent child access while allowing adult operation, reducing overall mechanism complexity
Data Source
AI summary
A child resistant container comprising a tray and a cover is provided. The tray comprises a plurality of tray compartments arranged radially around a centrally disposed tray hub. Each tray compartment defines a cavity for holding one or more articles. The container is a “dial pack” type container, meaning the tray can be rotated with respect to the cover to expose each cavity in turn.