Polymeric Package Container With Integrated Child-Resistant Retainer
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing polymeric containers lack effective mechanisms to securely retain closures while ensuring child-resistance and maintaining aesthetic appeal, often requiring separate components that complicate assembly and increase costs.
Innovation Solution
A polymeric container with an integrated child-resistant closure retainer featuring a sidewall mount, sidewall band, and closure-lock tabs, along with a deformable gap filler that transitions from a molded to a folded configuration to cover clearance gaps, enhancing security and aesthetics.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a child-resistant closure retainer is integrated into the container, then closure retention security is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The closure retainer is merged with the container body as an integrated component rather than a separate attachment. The retainer features include a sidewall mount, sidewall band, and closure-lock tab that are all formed as one piece with the container, eliminating the need for separate retainers and simplifying assembly while maintaining secure closure retention.
2Reliability
If a closure-lock tab mechanism is added to retain closure, then closure retention security is improved, but ease of manufacture deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The closure-lock tab is integrated directly into the container body during the molding process rather than being added as a separate component. This merging of the locking mechanism with the container structure simplifies manufacturing by eliminating additional assembly steps while ensuring reliable closure retention through the tab's engagement with the closure.
3Shape
If a gap filler is added to cover clearance gap, then aesthetic appeal is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The gap filler is merged with the closure retainer as an integrated component. The gap filler extends downwardly from the sidewall band to cover the clearance gap between the inner sidewall and the sidewall band, eliminating the need for separate gap filler components and maintaining aesthetic integrity while reducing overall complexity.
4Ease of operation
If multiple separate components are used for closure retainer, then ease of assembly is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The closure retainer is merged with the container body as a single integrated component, eliminating the need for multiple separate parts. This integration simplifies the overall device structure by reducing the number of components while maintaining ease of assembly through the unified design that requires no additional assembly steps.
Data Source
AI summary
A container is formed to include an interior product storage region and is configured to engage selectively with a closure to block access to the interior product storage region. The container includes a product-storage basin including a floor arranged generally perpendicular to a central axis of the container and an inner sidewall coupled to an outer perimeter of the floor and arranged to extend upwardly from the floor to define the interior product storage region above the floor and radially inward of the inner sidewall. The container further includes a child-resistant closure retainer coupled to the inner sidewall and configured to retain the closure to the container.