Portable Pill Container with Self-Latching Rib-and-Groove Closure
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing pill containers are not designed for easy portability, often come open, and lack features for identifying contents, making them unsuitable for daily use outside the home, especially in pockets or small compartments.
Innovation Solution
A two-piece container with a secure, water-resistant connection and a planar surface for labeling, featuring a rib and groove mechanism, allowing easy transport and visual identification, with options for varying sizes to accommodate different medication durations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a pill container is made small and portable for carrying in pockets, then ease of portability is improved, but the closure becomes more prone to opening accidentally
Solution Approach 1:
The closure mechanism incorporates a resilient biasing element that provides dynamic force to maintain the latched state. The biasing element automatically engages the resilient arm with the closure, creating a self-latching system that adapts to handling forces while maintaining secure closure during portable use.
2Ease of operation
If a pill container is made small and portable, then ease of portability is improved, but water resistance becomes more difficult to achieve
Solution Approach 1:
The closure is nested within the container body through a recessed configuration. The resilient arm is received within a recess in the container wall, and the closure operates within a recessed area. This nested arrangement creates sealed interfaces that prevent water ingress while maintaining a compact portable form factor.
3Ease of manufacture
If a pill container uses a simple closure mechanism, then ease of manufacture is improved, but reliability of closure is worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The closure mechanism is self-latching through the interaction of the resilient arm and biasing element. When the closure is engaged, the biasing element automatically forces the resilient arm into the latched position without requiring additional actuators or complex mechanisms. The system self-regulates to maintain secure closure while remaining simple to manufacture.
Data Source
AI summary
A personal use container, such as for containing and transporting pills, has a base which is configured to engage a cap, where the base and cap both have open and closed ends and when engaged, define a closed interior of the container. The cap and base may include inter-engaging members, such as a rib and groove, to retain them in their connected position. The container may have at least one flat side surface and a flat end surface to permit position of the container on a support surface. The container may include visual indicators and at least one portion may be transparent to permit viewing into the interior.