Child-Resistant Container With Tilting Rear Plate Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing containers with child-resistant (CR) functions require complex operations for users, such as aged individuals, to access stored objects like PTP sheets, making handling difficult due to the need to push a releasing mechanism and pull out a blister card simultaneously.
Innovation Solution
A container design featuring a main body with a rear plate that tilts forward to release a fixing mechanism, allowing the lid to open, with a simple configuration that includes a fixing plate positioned apart from the rear plate to enhance the CR function and prevent accidental opening by children.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a fixing mechanism is added to prevent the lid from opening, then the CR function is improved, but the operation complexity increases and handling becomes difficult for aged users
Solution Approach 1:
The container is divided into separate functional components: a fixing mechanism with a fixing plate and positioning protrusions for security, and a releasing mechanism with a pressing section and elastic member for easy operation. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently - the fixing mechanism provides robust CR function while the releasing mechanism offers simple user interaction through single-handed pressing motion
Solution Approach 2:
The elastic member is pre-compressed between the pressing section and the bottom plate, storing potential energy in advance. When the user presses the releasing mechanism, this pre-stored energy is immediately released to move the lid body forward and disengage the positioning protrusions from positioning grooves, enabling easy opening without requiring the user to overcome strong mechanical resistance during the opening action itself
2Ease of operation
If a releasing mechanism is added to enable easy opening, then the ease of operation is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The releasing mechanism merges multiple functions into a single integrated assembly: the pressing section serves as both the user interface and the moving element, the elastic member provides both the releasing force and the return spring function, and the pressing groove guides the motion path. This merging reduces the number of separate components compared to traditional latch mechanisms while achieving the desired easy-opening function
Solution Approach 2:
The elastic member automatically returns the lid body to its initial position after opening, and the positioning protrusions and grooves automatically re-engage when the lid is closed, providing self-latching functionality without requiring additional springs or actuators. The system serves itself by using the user's pressing action to both open the lid and reset the mechanism for the next use
Data Source
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AI summary
Provided is a container including a main body, a lid body, and a fixing mechanism that fixes the lid body to prevent the lid body from opening from the main body when the lid body is closed, the fixing being released when the lid body moves to a front side with respect to the main body. Cutouts are formed in side plates of the main body. The container is configured such that, by a rear plate tilting forward toward the cutouts of the side plates, the lid body moves to the front side with respect to the main body and the fixing of the lid body is released, and as the rear plate and a top plate of the lid body form a single plane, the top plate rises and the lid body opens.