Snus Container Locking Arrangement for Child Resistance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional snus containers are prone to accidental opening and are easily accessible to children due to their flexible design, which increases manufacturing complexity and costs.
Innovation Solution
A snus container with a simplified locking arrangement featuring a first latch member and a second latch member that requires rotation to disengage, allowing the lid to be unlocked and opened with a single operation, reducing complexity and manufacturing costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a locking arrangement is added to prevent accidental opening and child access, then safety and reliability are improved, but device complexity and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The locking arrangement is segmented into two separate latch members: a first latch member on the lid and a second latch member on the body. This segmentation allows each component to be simple in structure while collectively providing reliable locking functionality, resolving the contradiction between reliability and complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of using a complex resilient tongue that deflects inward to unlock, the invention uses a simple rotational movement of the lid that causes the latch members to disengage. This inversion of the unlocking mechanism simplifies the overall device complexity while maintaining reliability.
2Ease of manufacture
If thin walls are used to reduce manufacturing cost, then manufacturing cost is improved, but reliability and resistance to accidental opening deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The locking arrangement is designed to engage automatically when the lid is placed on the body, performing the locking action preliminarily without requiring additional components or complex mechanisms. This allows thin-walled construction to maintain both low cost and high reliability.
3Reliability
If a resilient tongue is used for locking, then child resistance is improved, but device complexity and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The complex resilient tongue mechanism is extracted and replaced with simple latch members that engage through rotational movement. This extraction eliminates the need for resilient materials and complex deflection mechanisms while maintaining child-resistant functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The latch members are designed as simple, inexpensive components that can be easily manufactured, replacing the more expensive and complex resilient tongue. This allows for cost-effective production while maintaining the required safety functionality.
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure relates to a snus container provided with a locking arrangement comprising a first latch member and a second latch member, wherein a first lid is adapted to be rotatable relative a body about a rotational axis between a first closed position where the first latch member and the second latch member are latched together to axially fix the first lid to the body, and an unlocked position where the first lid is axially displaced relative its first closed position, wherein the locking arrangement is adapted to counteract rotation of the first lid from the first closed position towards the unlocked position until the first lid is rotated to a position where the first latch member is forced to axially dislodge from the second latch member, thereby allowing the first lid to freely rotate to the unlocked position and be releasable from the body. A method for releasing a first lid from a body of a snus container is also disclosed.