Flexible Wall Container Locking Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing containers lack effective mechanisms to prevent children and the elderly from accessing and ingesting substances contained within, while also being user-friendly for adults.
Innovation Solution
A container design featuring a base with a flexible peripheral wall that can be moved from a relaxed to a flexed position, combined with a lid that has protrusions and receptacles to secure the container in a closed and locked position, requiring specific forces and directions to open.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a simple lid closure is used, then ease of operation is improved, but child safety and prevention of unauthorized access deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The closure mechanism is divided into multiple functional components: a flexible peripheral wall that can be deformed, protrusions that engage with receptacles, and a locking mechanism that secures the lid. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function while collectively providing both ease of operation for adults and safety against children.
Solution Approach 2:
The peripheral wall is designed to be flexible rather than rigid, allowing it to deform under applied force. This dynamic characteristic enables the wall to transition between a locked state (when protrusions engage receptacles) and an unlocked state, providing both security and ease of operation when needed.
2Reliability
If a complex locking mechanism is used, then child safety is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple safety functions are merged into a single integrated closure mechanism. The flexible peripheral wall, protrusions, receptacles, and locking action all work together as one unified system rather than separate components, reducing overall complexity while maintaining child safety features.
Solution Approach 2:
The locking mechanism is designed to automatically engage and disengage based on the deformation state of the peripheral wall. When the wall is deformed, the protrusions naturally engage with the receptacles to lock the lid, and when force is applied to open, the mechanism automatically unlocks without requiring additional components or complex control systems.
3Reliability
If force is applied to deform the peripheral wall, then locking capability is improved, but ease of operation for adults deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The mechanism utilizes changes in the physical state of the peripheral wall (from relaxed to deformed) to control locking and unlocking. By applying a specific force in a specific direction to deform the wall, the system transitions between locked and unlocked states, providing both secure locking and manageable ease of operation for adults.
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 container effectively prevents unauthorized access by requiring complex motions to open, while being easily accessible for adults, thus reducing the risk of substance exposure to children and the elderly.
Implementation Method 1
at least a portion of the peripheral wall is configured to be moved from a relaxed position to a flexed position by applying a first force to the peripheral wall in a first direction
Data Source
AI summary
A container includes a base, lid, and protrusion. The base can be moved from a relaxed position to a flexed position by applying a first force in a first direction. The lid can be moved between a closed, locked position and an open position. The protrusion is on one of the lid and a peripheral wall of the base, and is configured to be received in a receptacle defined by the other of the lid and peripheral wall. In the closed, locked position, the protrusion is at least partially in the receptacle, the base is in the relaxed position, and the protrusion can engage the receptacle to retain the lid in the closed, locked configuration. The lid can be moved from the closed, locked position to the open position by applying a second force to the lid in a second direction while the base is in the flexed position.