CLOSED CONTAINER SYSTEM
A sealable container system made of biodegradable materials, including a generally cylindrical, inwardly sloping container body having flattened side portions with holes therein, and a generally cylindrical, inwardly sloping cap with outwardly projecting tabs that are received into the holes to secure the cap onto the container. Inward pressure preleases the tabs from the holes so the cap can be removed without twisting.
The present application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application 62/523,774; entitled Closed-Container System, filed Jun. 23, 2017, and to U.S. Provisional Patent Application 62/614,338, entitled Closed-Container System, filed Jan. 5, 2018, the entire disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties for all purposes.
TECHNICAL FIELDThe present system is related to closeable hand-held container systems including, but not limited to, medicine pill bottle style containers.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONTraditionally, closed container systems (such as medicine pill bottles) were formed from a cylindrical container body having parallel walls that incorporated a twist-cap, a tamper-resistant (i.e.: child-resistant) closure or a snap cap. Some traditional examples of such sealable container systems include the “Push Tab”, “Push and Turn”, and “Snap Cap” vials made by companies like Clarke Container.
Exceptions to these standard designs do exist, such as Target's ClearRx™ design for the container body, which was revamped to display information in a clearer way (see US Published Patent Application 2006/163110). The Target ClearRx™ design deviated from the traditional, cylindrical body and reshaped the pill bottle in a way that made the walls flatter and wider, with the overall shape similar to an inverted trapezoid. There are also a number of newer closure designs as well, such as the “Tab Release Child Safety Feature” (see U.S. Pat. No. 9,150,339) which employs a variety of ways to lock and release the top of the container.
Unfortunately, the issues with these existing systems include difficulty when opening the container, storage inefficiencies, the need for complex manufacturing, and/or excessive production of waste. Moreover, these twist-cap closure systems rely upon torsional force to open and close the container. This requires the hand(s) to act in a twisting motion that places stress on the user's hands, wrists and fingers. Even the standard “Tab Release Safety Feature” system requires considerable dexterity to handle. In these current systems, including the Tab Release Safety Feature or any other variety of twist cap, opening and closing these containers can be challenging for people with arthritis, carpel tunnel, or weak hands and fingers. The significance of these difficulties becomes even more apparent when one considers that a high percentage of the population that relies on these products do in fact face challenges opening and closing the containers that hold their medications.
Second, the parallel walls of the traditional container body (for example, Target's ClearRx™ container) create inefficiencies in terms of storage because these containers do not have the ability to stack inside one another, which would save space during shipment and storage at the pharmacy. Every square inch of storage has value and the significance of this wasted space translates into monetary loss for an operation.
Thirdly, existing systems are impractical from a manufacturing standpoint. Closures of a complex nature, such as those with multiple, small, intricate parts can pose difficulty to large-scale processes where minute details may result in added time and cost.
Lastly, traditional, closed container systems are made of plastics, which go to the landfill and take thousands of years to biodegrade, or they create air pollution when incinerated during disposal. With billions of prescriptions filled each year in the U.S. alone, traditional, closed-container systems leave behind a tremendous carbon foot print. Finding ways to minimize this effect would be beneficial for people, business, and the environment.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe present system provides a child-resistant, closed container system that stabilizes the user's wrist and fingers when manipulating the closure. Users benefit from its simple design, ease of use, efficient storage, and end-of-product life cycle.
In preferred aspects, the present system provides a closed container, comprising: a container body having a cylindrical, inwardly sloping shape, the container body having at least two flattened side portions, each flattened side portion having a hole therein; and a cap receivable into the container body, the cap having a generally cylindrical, inwardly sloping shape, and at least two outwardly projecting tabs, wherein the tabs are receivable into the holes. The outwardly projecting tabs on the cap align with the flattened side portions of the container body such that a user presses inwardly on the cap to remove it from the container body. In various embodiments, flattened side portions are optional. In those embodiments with the flattened side portions, their advantages include both adding to the strength of the container body, and also assisting in aligning the cap onto the container body.
Advantages of the present system include at least the following:
Its ergonomic design utilizes compression rather than torsional force to both insert and remove the cap. Essentially, instead of using a twisting motion to screw/unscrew a traditional style cap from or to the container, the present system's user simply compresses the cap to release it and pushes the cap downward to lock it into place. Advantageously, the tabs on the cap and their position within the holes on the container body can create a child-resistant closure system.
When the user grips the container body, the finger and thumb naturally align with the tabs on the cap. This approach stabilizes the wrist and instead focuses the work on the thumb and fingers, which reduces the amount of overall stress on the user's hands and minimizes challenges associated with the dexterity needed to open and close existing systems.
Preferably, both the container body and the cap have closed bottoms and open tops and are stackable, thus saving space during transportation and storage. Preferably, an open notch can be provided above each of the tabs to facilitate stacking of the caps.
The present system has a design that can be made of a variety of materials, including those that are biodegradable, and still perform to standards. Optionally, both the container body and the cap are made from biodegradable materials such as molded pulp fibers. An advantage of using these types of fibers is their ability to withstand compression. (This feature is evident in the widespread use of molded pulp in cushioning applications, such as the inner packaging used for the shipment of goods, i.e., electronics, furniture, home goods, etc.) As a result, the present closed container system is therefore designed to be formed from molded pulp as it relies on compression both to open and to close the container. Advantageously, there is no twisting motion involved that could compromise the integrity of the fiber materials used. In addition, another advantage of the present use of these fiber materials is that they are non-toxic. As such, the present system can meet FDA guidelines (including those set forth by the Toxins in Packaging Coalition). As such, the present system can meet objective standards set forth by both USP and FDA guidelines. Recycled materials may also be used in the present system.
In contrast, many existing sealable closed container systems are currently made of plastic polymers, which are thought to be superior in terms of performance, durability, and non-toxicity. Recycled materials, such as molded pulp, are typically not allowed due to the potential presence of a list of toxic heavy metals contained in the inks of recycled paper. Furthermore, these recycled materials are possibly regarded as too weak to perform to standard.
Furthermore, the present container body is compact and stacks efficiently due to its sloped walls. This design allows for it to advantageously “nest” inside another container. In addition, the top caps can also be nested within one another. This improvement adds organization and value to an operation by optimizing storage space in general, but particularly in the pharmacy and during transport.
In optional embodiments, the cap may contain side bumps to lift it away from the container body. In further optional embodiments, the cap may also contain side legs extending downwardly into the container body, and optional hinges on the side legs. These features can be used to provide child-proofing. However, it is to be understood that the present system encompasses both systems that are child-proof and systems that are not necessarily child-proof.
Yet another advantage of the present closed container system is the ability to paper shred the container body, disposing of Private Health Information printed thereon in a secure way.
These and other embodiments of the present system may be used inside and outside of the pharmaceutical industry, including uses such as storage containers, food and beverage containers, and in cannabis industries. Also, a variety of shapes and materials may be used for the closed container system other than those described in this application, such as plastic, mycelium, algae, or other plant-based material. In addition, a paper or plant-based container may optionally be impregnated with seeds with the intention of planting said container after its useful life cycle. Such an embodiment may be used in cannabis, home and garden, and other herbal remedies markets.
Other advantages will be apparent from the description that follows, including the figures.
In the side elevation view of
In the illustrated embodiment, container body 12 is cylindrically-shaped with sloped walls that have holes 22 positioned on opposite facing walls. An inverted cap 24 (i.e.: a cylinder standing upright with the top face open) has similarly sloped walls to that of the container body, and exterior tabs 32 attached thereto, aligns with and slides into the top 14 of the container body 12. As the cap 24 travels further down into the body of container body 12, the cap 24 becomes snugger for two reasons. First, the tabs 32 of cap 24 begin to push more and more on the narrowing interior walls of container body 12. Second, the dissimilar slopes 18 and 30 of the cap and container body reach a point where the cap 24 can no longer move down tighter due to friction. At this point, tabs 32 of cap 24 engage holes 22 in the walls of the container body 12 and poke through. This locks cap 24 in place, as seen in
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In preferred embodiments, the cap (24, 40 or 48) and the outwardly projecting tabs 32 are all integrally formed from a single block of material. Preferably, the material is a biodegradable material, including but not limited to a bio-plastic. Optionally, the present system can be made in a injection-molded process with a single, solid mold. The container body (12) is also preferably made from biodegradable material, including but not limited to a molded pulp fiber. In practice, the present system can be made from a thermoformed process. Optionally, a clamshell container body (12) design can be used with the parts glued back together to conceal the seam. Alternatively, two container bodies can be nested and fused together for enhanced strength and impermeability. Optionally as well, the container body may be wrapped with a paper sleeve to increase smoothness, strength and impermeability.
Claims
1. A closed container system, comprising:
- a container body having a cylindrical, inwardly sloping shape and at least two holes therein; and
- a cap receivable into the container body, the cap having a generally cylindrical, inwardly sloping shape, and at least two outwardly projecting tabs, wherein the tabs are receivable into the holes.
2. The closed container system of claim 1, wherein the container body has at least two flattened side portions, with one of the holes disposed in each flattened side portion.
3. The closed container system of claim 1,
- wherein the container body has a closed bottom and an open top, and
- wherein the cap has a closed bottom and an open top.
4. The closed container system of claim 1, wherein the outwardly projecting tabs on the cap align with the flattened side portions of the container body.
5. The closed container system of claim 1, wherein the cap and the outwardly projecting tabs are integrally formed from a single block of material.
6. The closed container system of claim 1, wherein the container body and the cap are formed from a biodegradable material.
7. The closed container system of claim 6, wherein the biodegradable material is molded pulp fiber.
8. The closed container system of claim 1, wherein the angle of the inwardly sloping shape of the container body is steeper than the angle of the inwardly sloping shape of the cap.
9. The closed container system of claim 1, wherein the container body has an open top end and is dimensioned to nest within an identical container body.
10. The closed container system of claim 1, wherein the cap has an open top end and is dimensioned to nest within an identical cap.
11. The closed container system of claim 1, wherein the outwardly projecting tabs on the cap lock the cap into place in the container body when the cap is pushed downwardly into the container body.
12. The closed container system of claim 1, wherein pushing inwardly on the outwardly projecting tabs releases the cap from the container body.
13. The closed container system of claim 1, further comprising:
- an open notch in the cap above each outwardly projecting tab.
14. The closed container system of claim 1, wherein the cap further comprises at least two side legs extending downwardly therefrom, the side legs being dimensioned to be received within the container body.
15. The closed container system of claim 14, wherein one of each of the tabs are disposed on each of the side legs.
16. The closed container system of claim 14, further comprising a hinge on each of the side legs, wherein pushing the hinge inwardly releases the tabs from the holes, thereby releasing the cap from the container body.
17. The closed container system of claim 6, wherein the biodegradable material is a bio-plastic.
18. The closed container system of claim 1, wherein the container body and the cap are made from plastic.
19. The closed container system of claim 1, wherein the container body is made of a biodegradable material and the cap is made of a plastic.
20. The closed container system of claim 19,
- wherein the biodegradable material is a molded pulp fiber, and
- wherein the plastic is a bio-plastic.
Type: Application
Filed: Jun 21, 2018
Publication Date: Dec 27, 2018
Inventor: Jared KOETT (San Diego, CA)
Application Number: 16/014,484