GB2594473A

GB2594473A - Child-resistant container

Info

Publication number: GB2594473A
Application number: GB2006218.8A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Parris Ryan; Perreault Jean-Pierre
Original assignee: Colin Mear Engineering Ltd
Current assignee: Colin Mear Engineering Ltd
Priority date: 2020-04-28
Filing date: 2020-04-28
Publication date: 2021-11-03
Anticipated expiration: 2040-04-28
Also published as: GB2594473B; GB202006218D0

Abstract

A child-resistant container 10 for containing a plurality of products, comprising an outer cover 100 having an aperture 104 for dispensing a product, and an inner member 200 rotatably engaged within the outer cover and having a plurality of product compartments 202 each for containing a product. The inner member 200 is rotatable relative to the outer cover 100 to move a compartment from a closed configuration to an open configuration in alignment with the aperture. The container comprises a push-twist mechanism 106, 107 having a locked configuration in which the inner member 200 is rotatably fixed relative to the outer cover 100 and a rotatable configuration in which the inner member is rotatable relative to the outer cover. The mechanism is biased towards the locked configuration.

Description

Child-Resistant Container

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a child-resistant container for containing a plurality of products in individual compartments.

Background

Certain products, for a variety of obvious reasons, are required to be supplied or contained in a child-resistant or child-impeding package or container. Typically, such a container will be difficult for a child to open because it requires a certain level of strength or dexterity, or a determination of how the container is to be successfully opened which may not be evident to a child. Products which may need to be stored in this way include potentially dangerous or harmful products such as chemicals, drugs or medicines, or age-restricted products such as alcohol or products containing tobacco or other substances such as cannabis. The invention has been developed specifically for containing cannabis joints, but the technical features will be applicable to a wide variety of applications and the invention is not limited to any specific market or type of product.

Summary of the Invention

In accordance with the invention, a child-resistant container is provided for containing a plurality of products, comprising: an outer cover having an aperture for dispensing a product, and an inner member rotatably engaged within the outer cover and having a plurality of product compartments each for containing a product, wherein each compartment has a closed configuration in which the compartment is substantially closed by the outer cover and wherein rotation of the inner member relative to the outer cover causes each compartment to rotate in turn into alignment with the aperture and into an open configuration such that the product can be dispensed from the compartment through the aperture, wherein the container further comprises a push-twist mechanism having a locked configuration in which the inner member is rotatably fixed relative to the outer cover and a rotatable configuration in which the inner member is rotatable relative to the outer cover, wherein the mechanism is biased towards the locked configuration and is movable against the biasing force to the rotatable configuration.

The push-twist mechanism of the present invention provides a level of child-resistance.

By pushing the inner member against the biasing force into the rotatable configuration, the compartments can be rotated in turn (i.e. sequentially or consecutively) into alignment with the aperture.

In a preferred embodiment, the push-twist mechanism is moved to the rotatable configuration by moving the inner member in an axial direction, i.e. along the axis of rotation, against the biasing force. Preferably, the outer cover and the inner member are cylindrical. More preferably, the outer cover is a hollow cylinder with one open end through which the inner member is inserted. The inner member may be a substantially solid cylinder with the exception of the compartments.

In a preferred embodiment, the push-twist mechanism comprises at least one projection on the inner member which engages with a recess on the interior surface of the outer cover. The projection may retractable such that the inner member can be withdrawn from the outer cover, and may further be retractable by means of a key inserted into the inner member.

The recess preferably comprises an annular groove or groove portion and a plurality of recessed castellations adjacent to and in communication with the groove/portion. This may be referred to as a "castellated groove". When the projection is located in the groove, the mechanism is in the rotatable configuration and when the projection is located in a recessed castellation, the mechanism is in the locked configuration. In a preferred embodiment, the projection may have a dimension (e.g. width) which is substantially the same as or slightly smaller than the corresponding dimension of the recessed castellation.

As mentioned above, the push-twist mechanism may be moved to the rotatable configuration by moving the inner member in an axial direction, such as axially inboard. In this embodiment, the axial direction movement would move the projection from a recessed castellation to the groove. Therefore, in a preferred embodiment, the recessed castellations are axially outboard of the annular groove.

In a preferred embodiment, the positions of at least some of the recessed castellations around the groove are configured such that, when the projection is located in a recessed castellation, the mechanism is in the locked configuration and a compartment is aligned with the aperture.

Each compartment of the inner member may be spaced from the adjacent compartments by a blanking section. In this embodiment, the positions of at least some of the recessed castellations around the groove portion may be configured such that, when the projection is located in a recessed castellation, the mechanism is in the locked configuration and a blanking section is aligned with the aperture.

If the inner member has a combination of alternate compartments and blanking sections, the recessed castellations may be configured such that only the compartments are aligned with the aperture in the locked configurations, only the blanking sections are aligned with the aperture in the locked configurations, or compartments and blanking sections are alternately aligned with the aperture in the locked configurations.

Preferably, the area of the blanking section is at least the same as the area of the 25 aperture.

The compartments and blanking sections may be equally spaced around the axis of rotation of the inner member. The recessed castellations may be appropriately spaced depending on which feature is to be presented to the aperture in each locked configuration. In a particularly preferred embodiment, the inner member has three compartments at 120 degree spacing with blanking sections in between, with six recessed castellations.

As mentioned above, the inner member may be a cylinder. Preferably, the inner member is an elongate cylinder, and the compartments and blanking sections extend axially along the cylinder.

The push-twist mechanism is preferably biased towards the locked configuration by means of a spring acting between the outer cover and inner member.

In a preferred embodiment, when in the rotatable configuration, the inner member is configured to be rotatable relative to the outer cover in only one direction. A ratchet mechanism may be provided to achieve this function.

The combination of a push-twist mechanism and one-way rotation or a ratchet mechanism provides an increased level of child-resistance, because the inner member has to be both pushed against the biasing force to rotate it and also rotated in the correct direction in order to dispense a product.

A ratchet mechanism will typically have one or more rest or stable positions and an unstable position in between, where the mechanism will not be at rest. In a preferred embodiment, the ratchet mechanism is configured such that, when in a stable position, the push-twist mechanism is aligned in the locked configuration.

In a particularly preferred embodiment, the ratchet mechanism is further configured to bias the push-twist mechanism towards the locked configuration. It therefore performs the dual function of a ratchet and a biasing means or spring. The ratchet mechanism preferably comprises at least one resilient ratchet projection on the inner member which engages a ratchet recess on the interior surface of the outer cover (when in the stable position referred to above).

The ratchet projection preferably comprises a resilient tapered coil extending from the inner member. The ratchet recess is preferably formed by a ramp surface on the interior surface of the outer cover.

In a preferred embodiment, the ratchet mechanism comprises a plurality of resilient tapered coils and a plurality of ramp surfaces. The number of ramp surfaces preferably corresponds to the number of recessed castellations, and their relative positions are configured so that, when the ratchet mechanism is in a stable position, the push-twist mechanism is aligned in the locked configuration. Preferably, the ratchet mechanism comprises two resilient tapered coils and six ramp surfaces.

The invention also provides a child-resistant container as described above and together with a product in at least one of the plurality of product compartments, or in each of the plurality of product compartments. Each compartment may be sealed with a product inside by a sealing means such as a removable film or foil.

Brief Description of the Drawings

An embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figs. 1A and 1B show external front and side views of a container in accordance with the 20 invention; Fig. 2 shows a perspective view of the inner member of the container; Figs. 3A and 3B show vertical cross-sections respectively through the outer cover alone and the outer cover with the inner member inserted; Figs. 4A and 4B show vertical and horizontal cross-sections respectively through the outer cover in the area of the castellated groove of the push-twist mechanism; Fig. 5 shows a detailed cross-sectional view of the ratchet mechanism of the container; Fig. 6 shows a horizontal cross-section through the container; and Figs. 7A and 7B show external and cross-sectional views of the container with a key inserted to remove the inner member.

Detailed Description of a Preferred Embodiment

Figs. 1A and 1B show external front and side views of an assembled container 10 in accordance with the invention. The container comprises an outer cover 100 and an inner member 200.

With reference to Figs. 1A, 1B and 3A, outer cover 100 has a hollow, elongate, cylindrical body formed from a cylindrical side wall 101 which is closed at one end by end wall 102. An opening 103 is provided at other end through which the inner member is inserted. A dispensing aperture 104 is provided in side wall 101.

With reference to Figs. 1A, 1B and 2, inner member 200 has an elongate, cylindrical body 201 and is provided with a plurality of compartments 202 separated by blanking sections 203. A flange 204 is also provided to facilitate operation of the push-twist mechanism as described below. Inner member 200 is cylindrical and inserts into outer cover 100 as shown in Fig. 3B.

With reference to Figs. 3A, 3B, 4A and 4B, the push-twist mechanism will be described in more detail. The feature of the push-twist mechanism provided on outer cover 100 is the recess 105, which is provided on the inside of side wall 101 and comprises an annular groove 106 and a plurality of castellated recesses 107 extending from the annular groove and being equally-spaced around the cylindrical axis of the outer cover. On the inner member 200, the push-twist mechanism comprises two projections 205 which locate in the recess 105 of the outer cover, as shown in Fig. 3B.

The inner member 200 is biased towards a direction axially outboard of the outer cover 100 by a spring force provided by the ratchet mechanism as discussed below. This means that the projections 205 tend to locate each in one of the recesses 107. In this position, it is not possible to rotate the inner member 200 relative to the outer cover 100. When a force is provided by a user against the biasing force to move the inner member 200 in an inboard axial direction relative to the outer cover 100, the projections 205 can be moved to locate in the annular groove 106, and the inner member can then be rotated relative to the outer cover. A different compartment containing a product can therefore be rotated from a closed position to an open position adjacent the aperture 104 and a product dispensed from the container. Each compartment may be sealed to keep the product fresh, e.g. by means of a removable film or foil.

With reference to Figs. 3A, 3B and 5, the ratchet mechanism will be described in more detail. The features of the ratchet mechanism provided on outer cover 100 are the plurality of ratchet ramps 108 provided on the inside surface of end wall 102. The ramps 108 form ratchet recesses 109. On the inner member 200, the ratchet mechanism comprises two resilient ratchet projections 208, preferably in the form of resilient tapered coils. The ratchet projections 208 perform a dual ratchet and spring function, as they resiliently urge the inner member 200 in an axial direction out of the outer cover while also allowing one-way rotation only. Projections 205 engaging in recesses 107 prevent the inner member 200 from being ejected from the outer cover 100.

When the ratchet mechanism is in the stable position, the end of each projection 208 will be located in a recess 109, as shown in Fig. 5. In this position, with no force being applied to counter the biasing force, projections 205 will engage in recesses 107 and the container will be in a locked configuration.

With reference to Fig. 3B, in order to operate the container, a force F is provided by the user to compress the ratchet projections 208 (e.g. by holding the outer cover 100 and providing a force on the flange 204 to urge the components together). The projections 205 will move out of recesses 107 and into annular groove 106. While maintaining the force F, the inner member can be rotated relative to the outer cover in a direction A (only) about the axis of rotation R and will tend to click-stop in rest positions defined by the ratchet mechanism.

Fig. 6 shows a horizontal cross-section through the container. Two compartments 202' are in a closed configuration as they are closed by the outer cover 100 and not accessible.

One compartment 202" is in an open configuration and is aligned with dispensing aperture 104. The compartments 202 may be rotated in turn to stop in alignment with aperture 104, optionally with blanking sections 203 in between.

Figs. 7A and 7B show external and cross-sectional views of the container 10 with a key 206 inserted through aperture 207 of the inner member 200 to remove the inner member 200 from the outer cover 100. The key engages projections 205 which flex resiliently inward to disengage from recess 105 and allow the inner member to be withdrawn. This feature may be provided to allow refilling of the container compartments with new product and resealing the compartments as appropriate.

The components described above may be formed from any suitable material, e.g. plastics or metal. The outer cover 100 is preferably formed from metal, such as aluminium, and the inner member 200 is preferably formed from a plastics material, which may be 3-D printed or injection moulded.

Claims

Claims 1. A child-resistant container for containing a plurality of products, comprising: an outer cover having an aperture for dispensing a product, and an inner member rotatably engaged within the outer cover and having a plurality of product compartments each for containing a product, wherein each compartment has a closed configuration in which the compartment is substantially closed by the outer cover and wherein rotation of the inner member relative to the outer cover causes each compartment to rotate in turn into alignment with the aperture and into an open configuration such that the product can be dispensed from the compartment through the aperture, wherein the container further comprises a push-twist mechanism having a locked configuration in which the inner member is rotatably fixed relative to the outer cover and a rotatable configuration in which the inner member is rotatable relative to the outer cover, wherein the mechanism is biased towards the locked configuration and is movable against the biasing force to the rotatable configuration.
2. The container of claim 1, wherein the push-twist mechanism comprises at least one projection on the inner member which engages with a recess on the interior surface of the outer cover.
3. The container of claim 2, wherein the projection is retractable such that the inner member can be withdrawn from the outer cover.
4. The container of claim 3, wherein the projection is retractable by means of a key.
5. The container of any of claims 2 to 4, wherein the recess comprises an annular groove portion and a plurality of recessed castellations adjacent to and in communication with the groove portion and wherein, when the projection is located in the groove portion, the mechanism is in the rotatable configuration and when the projection is located in a recessed castellation, the mechanism is in the locked configuration.
6. The container of claim 5, wherein the positions of at least some of the recessed castellations around the groove portion are configured such that, when the projection is located in a recessed castellation, the mechanism is in the locked configuration and a compartment is aligned with the aperture.
7. The container of any preceding claim, wherein each compartment of the inner member is spaced from the adjacent compartments by a blanking section.
8. The container of claim 7 and claim 5 or 6, wherein the positions of at least some of the recessed castellations around the groove portion are configured such that, when the projection is located in a recessed castellation, the mechanism is in the locked configuration and a blanking section is aligned with the aperture.
9. The container of claim 7 or 8, wherein the area of the blanking section is at least the same as the area of the aperture.
10. The container of claim 7, 8 or 9, wherein the compartments and blanking sections are equally spaced around the axis of rotation of the inner member.
11. The container of any preceding claim, wherein the push-twist mechanism is biased towards the locked configuration by means of a spring acting between the outer cover and inner member.
12. The container of any preceding claim, wherein, in the rotatable configuration, the inner member is configured to be rotatable relative to the outer cover in only one direction.
13. The container of claim 12, further comprising a ratchet mechanism.
14. The container of claim 13, wherein the ratchet mechanism is configured such that, when in a stable position, the push-twist mechanism is aligned in the locked configuration.
15. The container of claim 13 or 14, wherein the ratchet mechanism is further configured to bias the push-twist mechanism towards the locked configuration.
16. The container of claim 15, wherein the ratchet mechanism comprises at least one resilient ratchet projection on the inner member which engages a ratchet recess on the interior surface of the outer cover.
17. The container of claim 16, wherein the ratchet projection comprises a resilient tapered coil extending from the inner member.
18. The container of claim 16 or 17, wherein the ratchet recess is formed by a ramp surface on the interior surface of the outer cover.
19. The container of claims 17 and 18, wherein the ratchet mechanism comprises a plurality of resilient tapered coils and a plurality of ramp surfaces.