Child-Resistant Package Safety Label with Breaking Points

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current child-resistant packaging technologies face challenges in effectively delaying access to children while allowing authorized individuals to open the package in a timely manner, as they often rely on simple mechanisms that can be easily bypassed by unauthorized users, particularly children.

Innovation Solution

A child-resistant smoking article package featuring a multi-layer safety label with predetermined breaking points and removable layers that complicate the opening process, including a base layer, an intermediate layer, and a top layer with distinct adhesive strengths and visual elements to distract and delay unauthorized access, while allowing authorized individuals to open the package with minimal effort.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of manufacture

If a simple child-resistant packaging mechanism is used, then the ease of manufacture is improved, but the effectiveness in delaying child access deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveease of manufactureVSAvoideffectiveness in delaying child access
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The packaging system is divided into multiple functional layers: a base layer bonded to the package, an intermediate layer with first breaking points covering the cap lower edge, and a top layer with second breaking points. This segmentation creates multiple independent barriers that must be overcome sequentially, significantly delaying child access while maintaining manufacturing simplicity through layer-by-layer application

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The safety label employs a nested structure where the intermediate layer is positioned between the base layer and top layer, with each layer containing predetermined breaking points. The intermediate layer's breaking points are nested within the overall label structure, creating a multi-stage failure mode that requires progressive destruction of nested layers to access the package contents

Inventive Principle:
Principle #7Nested doll (Nesting)

2Reliability

If a multi-layer safety label with predetermined breaking points is implemented, then the effectiveness in delaying child access is improved, but the device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveeffectiveness in delaying child accessVSAvoiddevice complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

Each layer of the safety label has locally optimized properties: the base layer provides strong bonding to the package, the intermediate layer contains first breaking points strategically positioned over the cap lower edge, and the top layer contains second breaking points. This local differentiation of quality allows each layer to perform its specific function while maintaining overall system simplicity

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The predetermined breaking points are pre-established during label manufacturing, with first breaking points located in the intermediate layer and second breaking points in the top layer. This preliminary action ensures that when a child attempts to open the package, the label will fail in a controlled sequence at these pre-determined locations, providing delay without requiring complex real-time mechanisms

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentEP2985239B1Child-resistant smoking article package with safety label
Publication Date: 2017.10.04 FONTEM HOLDINGS 1 BV
  • EP2985239B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2985239B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2985239B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

According to the invention, a child-resistant smoking article package (100) is provided, comprising a container (110) configured to contain smoking articles therein, a cap (120) for closing an opening of the container (110) and having a lower edge (122) contacting the container (110) in a closed state of the package (100) and separated from the container (110) in an open state of the package (100), and a safety label (1) provided on the package (100). The safety label (1) comprises a base layer (10) bonded to the package (100) and comprising a first predetermined breaking point area (12) covering at least a part of the lower edge (122) of the cap (120), an at least partly removable intermediate layer (20) covering at least a part of the first predetermined breaking point area (12) of the base layer (10), and an at least partly removable top layer (30) covering the base layer (10) with the intermediate layer (20) thereon and having a second predetermined breaking point area (32).