Child-Proof Rigid Cigarette Pack With Sliding Inner Element
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current rigid cigarette packs with hinged lids are not child-proof, as they can be easily opened by children, lacking mechanisms that require non-intuitive forces or movements to access the contents.
Innovation Solution
A rigid cigarette pack design featuring a cup-shaped outer container with a hinged lid and a sliding inner element that must be moved from a raised to a lowered position to allow the lid to open, incorporating a reusable closing tab and sliding flaps to prevent accidental opening, while maintaining ease of manufacturing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a simple hinged lid is used on a rigid cigarette pack, then the pack is easy to manufacture and simple to use, but it cannot prevent children from opening it
Solution Approach 1:
The cigarette pack is divided into an outer container with a hinged lid and an inner container that holds the cigarettes. The inner container is shorter than the outer container, creating a spatial separation that enables the child-proof mechanism. This segmentation allows the lid to be hinged to the outer container while the inner container can slide independently to block or allow lid opening.
Solution Approach 2:
The inner container is designed to slide dynamically between two positions: a first position where it blocks the lid from opening (child-proof mode), and a second position where it allows the lid to open freely (adult access mode). This dynamic positioning transforms a static simple lid into a controllable access mechanism that adapts its behavior based on user intent.
2Reliability
If a sliding inner container mechanism is added to make the pack child-proof, then child-proof capability is achieved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The inner container is nested within the outer container, with the inner container sliding along the longitudinal axis inside the outer container's cavity. This nesting arrangement allows the child-proof mechanism to be integrated within the existing pack structure without adding external components, minimizing increased complexity while achieving the desired functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The inner container serves multiple functions: it holds the cigarettes, acts as a sliding block to prevent lid opening when in the first position, and allows lid opening when moved to the second position. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate dedicated child-proof components, thereby limiting the increase in device complexity.
3Reliability
If the inner container is made shorter than the outer container to enable sliding, then child-proof functionality is achieved, but the protection volume for cigarettes is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The child-proof mechanism operates along the longitudinal axis of the pack, utilizing the dimensional space created by the height difference between the outer and inner containers. By exploiting this longitudinal dimension, the invention achieves child-proof functionality without requiring additional lateral or vertical expansion that would increase overall pack volume.
Data Source
AI summary
A pack for smoking articles having a group of smoking articles; an inner element with at least one wall; and a cup-shaped rigid outer container, housing the inner element and the group of smoking articles, and having an open upper end, a lower wall, oppositely disposed front and rear walls, and oppositely disposed side walls. A cup-shaped lid is hinged to the outer container to rotate, relative to the outer container, between open and closed positions to open and close the open upper end and has: an open lower end, an upper wall, oppositely disposed front and rear walls, and oppositely disposed side walls. The inner element is longitudinally shorter than the outer container coupled to the lid in the closed position and, keeping the lid in the closed position, can linearly slide inside the outer container along a longitudinal sliding direction, perpendicular to the outer container lower wall.