Child-Resistant Unit Dose Container with Sliding Tray and Dual-Motion Cap
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing unit dose packages for medicine are not effectively child-resistant while being senior-friendly, as they can be easily opened by children and may not be easily accessible for senior citizens.
Innovation Solution
A child-resistant and senior-friendly unit dose package design featuring a hollow container body with a slidable tray and a cap that requires simultaneous downward and lateral pressure for removal, utilizing lugs and slots with a spring mechanism for secure closure, and a tray locking mechanism to prevent complete removal of the blister card.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a simple cap design is used, then ease of operation is improved, but child-resistance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The cap requires a specific combination of movements (rotational motion combined with lateral displacement) to open, changing the operational parameters from simple lifting to a coordinated sequence of actions that seniors can perform but children cannot
Solution Approach 2:
The cap incorporates a dynamic opening mechanism where the cap must rotate along the rim while simultaneously moving laterally to disengage from the container body, creating a dynamic opening process rather than a static pull-off action
2Object-affected harmful factors
If a secure closure mechanism is used, then child-resistance is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The cap automatically engages with the container body through self-alignment features where the cap's rim guides the lugs into the slots during placement, and the spring mechanism automatically provides the locking force without requiring user intervention
Solution Approach 2:
The mechanical spring-loaded latch system replaces complex multi-component closure mechanisms, using elastic potential energy storage in the spring to provide secure locking while maintaining simple user interaction
3Ease of operation
If the tray can be completely removed, then ease of operation is improved, but reliability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The tray is designed with engagement features that prevent complete removal before the cap is opened, ensuring that the tray remains secured to the container body during storage and transport, and only becomes fully accessible after the cap is properly removed
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The package effectively prevents access by young children while allowing easy access for senior citizens, ensuring secure storage and dispensing of medication with a mechanism that is difficult for children to open but easily managed by adults.
Implementation Method 1
a spring, such as a leaf spring, urges the lugs into a captured position within the slots
Data Source
AI summary
A child-resistant and senior-friendly unit dose package has a hollow container body and a tray with a plurality of items secured thereto for being dispensed from the container body. The container body has an end with an elongate opening defined by a rim, and the tray can be slid to a retracted position in which the tray is located within the container body and a dispensing position in which the tray extends at least partially through the opening of the container body. The package includes a separate cap removably securable to the container body to seal the opening and prevent access to the tray. Multiple simultaneous manipulations are required to remove the cap from the container body thereby providing a child-resistant connection.