CHILD RESISTANT CONTAINER AND METHOD OF USING THE SAME
A child-resistant container which holds at least one item. The container includes a housing having upper and lower walls and at least one open side between the upper and lower walls. The container also includes a tray having a drawer slideably positioned in the tray. The drawer is for containing the item. The tray is pivotably connected to the housing at a pivot joint for movement between a first position in which the tray and the drawer are contained in the housing for preventing access to the item and a second position in which the tray extends through the open side of the housing for exposing the drawer and the item.
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This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/707,010, filed Aug. 10, 2005.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention relates to a child-resistant container and more specifically to an easily refillable child-resistant container for storing a removable blister pack having an arrangement of blisters each of which contains a tablet or capsule.
Many pharmaceutical products such as tablets and capsules are packaged in blister packs to deter children from obtaining and ingesting the products, to provide a small quantity of medication in a cost effective package and to allow for compliance throughout the medication cycle. In addition, blister packs are commonly utilized as physician samples for specific drugs and are not always packaged in a child-resistant package/container. The designer of such blister packs is confronted with conflicting requirements. The blister pack should be child-resistant and at the same time able to be opened without unreasonable difficulty. Typical blister packs are known to be difficult for some adults to open while still failing to be a deterrent for unsupervised children. In addition, blister packs are often utilized to help users keep track of their daily dosage of medication, which is taken over long periods of time.
A child-resistant container for storing blister packs provides a second layer of safety. To be effective the container should require a degree of perception and manual dexterity above the abilities of unsupervised children attempting to gain access to the contents of the blister pack and should also be easy for adults to use. A container requiring the coordinated use of both hands and the simultaneous application of a force to both a latch and a lock assembly to gain access to the blister pack, such as the container of the invention disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/941,588 filed on Sep. 14, 2004, which was published under U.S. Patent Application Publication No. US 2005/0115862 A1 and is incorporated by reference in its entirety herein, provides the requisite level of protection.
Although the container of the above-referenced U.S. Patent Application solves the problems mentioned above, several disadvantages still exist in the child-resistant containers. Namely, the manufacturing process requires additional steps to secure the blister pack to the child-resistant container. For instance, holes within the blister pack must be precisely aligned with corresponding holding pins. This step could become time consuming due to the precision required to properly install the blister pack. Other manufacturing processes require that an adhesive be applied to the blister pack to secure the blister pack to the container. The application of an adhesive is not only time consuming but also poses a risk of potentially harmful chemical reactions between the adhesive and the medicine contained within the blister pack.
Another disadvantage of currently available blister pack holding child-resistant containers is that the blister packs are not quickly replaceable. In the case of the use of holding pins, a user must detach the old pack and align a new pack with the pins. In the case of the use of adhesives, the user must detach the pack and apply new adhesive for a new pack. Both of these options do not provide for quick replacement of blister packs.
Thus, a need exists for a child-resistant container capable of easy installation and removal of blister packs.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONBreifly stated, the present invention is directed to a child-resistant container for holding at least one item. The container includes a housing having upper and lower walls and at least one open side between the upper and lower walls. The container also includes a tray having a drawer slideably positioned therein. The drawer is for containing the item. The tray is pivotably connected to the housing at a pivot joint for movement between a first position in which the tray and the drawer are contained in the housing for preventing access to the item and a second position in which the tray extends through the open side of the housing for exposing the drawer and the item.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGSThe foregoing summary, as well as the following detailed description of the invention, will be better understood when read in conjunction with the appended drawings. For the purpose of illustrating the invention, there are shown in the drawings embodiments which are presently preferred. It should be understood, however, that the invention is not limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown.
In the drawings:
Certain terminology is used in the following description for convenience only and is not limiting. The words “right,” “left,” “lower” and “upper” designate directions in the drawings to which reference is made. The words “inwardly” and “outwardly” refer to directions toward and away from, respectively, the geometric center of the child-resistant container and designated parts thereof. The terminology includes the words above specifically mentioned, derivatives thereof, and words of similar import.
Referring to the drawings in detail, wherein like numerals indicate like elements throughout, there is shown in
Those having ordinary skill in the art will appreciate from this disclosure that contents or items other than tablets or capsules can be contained in the container 10 of the present invention. For example, liquid or granular pharmaceuticals, contact lenses suspended in liquid or similar items potentially hazardous to children or adults can be safely contained in a readily accessible and convenient manner using the container 10 of the present invention. Accordingly, while the first preferred embodiment of the container 10 is discussed below as having a tray 20 for holding a blister pack, those having ordinary skill in the art will appreciate from this disclosure that the present invention is not limited to containers for containing blister packs.
The container 10 may be used to contain other contents without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. The necessary changes to the container 10 to accommodate contents other than a blister pack would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art when considered in combination with this disclosure. Accordingly, for brevity, the below disclosure is directed to a container 10 for blister packs having an arrangement of tablets with the understanding that the invention is not limited to containing blister packs or tablets.
Referring to
The housing 18 has a base or lower wall 26, a top or upper wall 28, at least one closed side 30 and at least one open side 32. The base 26 and top 28 have semi-circular cutouts 110 that join to form outermost edges of circular keyholes 94 which will be described in more detail below. One of ordinary skill in the art would recognize that the cutouts 110 could be of other shapes and sizes so long as a key (described below) is capable of fitting through the cutout portion. The at least one closed side 30 extends between the base 26 and the top 28 along a first portion 34 of a perimeter 36 of the base 26. The at least one open side 32 extends between the base 26 and the top 28 along a second portion 38 of the perimeter 36 of the base 26 and at least from the fourth corner 18d to the first corner 18a. Preferably the at least one closed side 30 comprises a base component 30a and a top component 30b. The base component 30a extends upwardly from the base 26 and the top component 30b extends downwardly from the top 28. Referring to
Those having ordinary skill in the art will understand from the present disclosure that the base component 30a and the top component 30b of the at least one closed side 30 are preferably formed as an integral part of the base 26 and top 28, respectively. The artisan also will understand that the base component 30a and the top component 30b may be secured to each other by a variety of other well known fastening methods such as an interference fit, screws, adhesives or the like. Further, the artisan will understand that the base component 30a and the top component 30b need not be formed as an integral part of the base 26 and top 28, respectively, but rather may be separate structures secured to the base 26 and top 28, respectively, by the methods discussed above without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
Referring to
Referring to
The tray 20 further includes a retention or restraint bar 90 extending over the drawer 80 for restricting movement or securing a blister pack as will be described below. The retention bar 90 is substantially centered within the hollow space 59 and extends from a first portion top 56a to a rear portion 57. One of ordinary skill in the art would recognize that the location and orientation of the retention bar 90 could vary so long as the blister pack is capable of being properly secured. In addition, the tray 20 includes top and bottom ridges 96, 98 located on inside sidewalls 47 of the tray 20. The top and bottom ridges 96, 98 form a channel 91 on each side of the tray 20 and each channel 91 is aligned with keyholes 94 that extend through the rear portion 57 and the perimeter 58 of the tray 20. One of ordinary skill in the art would recognize that the channel 91 could be formed in other ways or could be eliminated without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
Referring to
Referring to
In operation, the drawer 80 is loaded with a blister pack by placing the blister pack in the center portion 83 of the drawer 80 and securing the blister pack by placing the edges of the blister pack underneath the ribs 85. The drawer 80 is then inserted into the tray 20 by placing the latches 82 of the side extensions 87 into the channel 91 and pushing the drawer 80 through the channels 91 and into the keyholes 94 until the latch 82 engages pins 92 (
Referring to
In operation, the drawer 80 is released from the tray 20 by applying the drawer key 100 to the child-resistant container 10. The first and second extensions 104a, 104b are aligned with the keyholes 94 and pushed toward the container 10 so that the first and second extensions 104a, 104b contact the tapered portions of the latches 82. This causes elastic deformation of the latches 82 and removes the latches 82 from the pins 92, thereby forcing the drawer 80 out of the tray 20. The drawer 80 may then be quickly replaced by a substitute drawer having a new blister pack if needed.
Referring to
In operation, the cam surface 25b moves the lock assembly 24 from the locking position to the release position as the tray 20 pivots from the exposed position toward the retracted position. The lock assembly 24 engages the shoulder 25c when the tray 20 is in the retracted position, thereby locking the tray 20 in the retracted position. To release the tray 20 from the retracted position, the upper tab 24a is depressed toward the tray 20, thereby moving the hook-shaped member 25a out of engagement with the shoulder 25c, the latch 22 is actuated and the tray 20 is released to pivot toward the open position upon the application of a torque to the tray 20. When returning the tray 20 to the retracted position from the open position, the cam surface 25b contacts the hook-shaped member 25a, moving the upper tab 24a from the locking position to the release position. When the hook-shaped member 25a clears the cam surface 25b, the resilient upper tab 24a urges the hook-shaped member 25a to the locking position, thereby engaging the hook-shaped member 25a with the shoulder 25c and locking the tray 20 in the retracted position.
The upper tab 24a of the lock assembly 24 may include an ornamental design such as a star or a target applied to its outer surface to direct the user's attention to the location of the upper tab 24 on the container 10. Additionally, preferably, but not necessarily, the top 28 of the container 10 may bear other markings to provide guidance to the user regarding how to operate the device. The ornamental design on the upper tab 24a is not limited to a star or target and may take on nearly any ornamental shape or pattern that provides an indication to a user for actuating the locking assembly 24.
Those having ordinary skill in the art will understand from the above disclosure that the tray 20 is secured in the first position 50 by the latch 22 and the lock assembly 24 and is angularly displaceable from the first position 50 toward the second position 52 upon the simultaneous application of an inwardly directed force to the flexible member 64 of the latch 22 and the upper tab 24a of the lock assembly 24 and a torque to the tray 20.
Preferably, but not necessarily, the above-disclosed components of the container 10 are fabricated from die-formable polymeric materials. However, a wide variety of well-known materials including but not limited to metals such as aluminum or stainless steel may be used without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention.
The container 10 is preferably ergonomically designed for simplicity of use as follows. The container 10 with the tray 20 in the first or closed position 50 is grasped in the left hand with the at least one closed side 30 facing the palm of the user's hand, the top 28 facing upwardly and the left thumb placed over the upper tab 24a of the lock assembly 24. The index finger of the user's right hand is placed on the flexible member 64 of the latch 22. To open the container 10, the user simultaneously applies with the left thumb and right index finger an inwardly directed force to the upper tab 24a and the flexible member 64 respectively and a torque to the tray 20. The force applied to the upper tab 24a causes the upper tab 24a to be displaced inwardly and thereby transfer the force to the arm 25 which, in turn, is displaced downwardly and outwardly to withdraw the arm 25a from the shoulder 25c and unlock the tray 20.
The application of the inwardly directed force to the flexible member 64 causes an inward displacement of the flexible member 64, which in turn causes the withdrawal of the tang 68 from the notch 66 in the at least one closed side 30 of the housing 18. The simultaneous withdrawal of the arm 25a and the tang 68 frees the tray 20 for angular displacement about the pivot 46. With both the upper tab 24a and the flexible member 64 inwardly displaced, the application of the torque to the tray 20 pivots the tray 20 from the first (closed) position 50 to the second (open) position 52.
When the tray 20 is in the open position 50, the user may remove a tablet from a blister of an already contained blister pack. The application of a reverse torque to the tray 20 returns the tray 20 to the closed position 50. When the tray 20 is returned to the closed position 50, in the absence of the force applied to the upper tab 24a and the flexible member 64, the tang 68 is inserted in the notch 66 and the arm 25a is inserted in the shoulder 25c due to the biased positioning of the latch 22 and the lock assembly 24.
Referring to
Referring to
Referring to
In operation, the movable tray 20 is inserted into the housing 18 and the pivot member 164 is snap-fitted onto the first cylindrical structure 146 into a first (closed) position 50′. During the snap-fitting process, the cylindrical structure 46a travels through the second gap 152 and expands the space within the gap 152 until the cylindrical structure 46a rests within the pivot hole 48′ at which time the gap 152 returns to its original dimensions. The removable tray 20′ is capable of being pivotably removed from the housing 18 into a second (open) position 52′. Referring to
It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes could be made to the embodiments described above without departing from the broad inventive concept thereof. It is understood, therefore, that this invention is not limited to the particular embodiments disclosed, but it is intended to cover modifications within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.
Claims
1. A child-resistant container for holding at least one item, the container comprising:
- a housing having upper and lower walls, at least one open side between the upper and lower walls;
- a tray having a drawer slideably positioned therein, the drawer for containing the item, the tray being pivotably connected to the housing at a pivot joint for movement between a first position in which the tray and the drawer are contained in the housing for preventing access to the item and a second position in which the tray extends through the open side of the housing for exposing the drawer and the item.
2. A child-resistant container according to claim 1, wherein the tray has at least one restraint bar extending over the drawer and restricting movement of the at least one item when the drawer is inserted in the tray.
3. A child resistant container according to claim 1, wherein the drawer is releasably interlocked to the tray.
4. A child-resistant container according to claim 3, wherein the drawer is releasably interlocked to the tray by at least one latch.
5. A child-resistant container according to claim 4, further including a drawer key positionable into a key hole in the housing, wherein portions of the drawer key extend into the housing to release the at least one latch.
6. A child-resistant container according to claim 5, wherein the drawer key comprises:
- a base;
- at least one extension extending from the base into the key hole and into the housing.
7. A child-resistant container according to claim 5, wherein the drawer key partially surrounds the housing when the portions of the drawer key extend into the housing.
Type: Application
Filed: Aug 10, 2006
Publication Date: Mar 1, 2007
Applicant: WEST PHARMACEUTICAL SERVICES, INC. (Lionville, PA)
Inventors: Jon Huffer (Williamsport, PA), Garrett Hager (Lancaster, PA), Michael Maietta (Cogan Station, PA), Neil Strausbaugh (Williamsport, PA), Paul Goebel (Montoursville, PA), Gary Thau (Morgantown, PA), Bradford Seaman (Birdsboro, PA)
Application Number: 11/463,764
International Classification: B65D 83/04 (20060101); B65D 85/42 (20060101);