MULTI-USE CHILD PROTECTIVE PACKAGING CONTAINER WITH PURGE AND HUMIDITY CONTROL
Disclosed herein are multi-use child resistant packaging containers that are capable of protecting children from accessing the contents inside while also controlling the environment of the storage compartment wherein the contents reside. The containers are capable of being used to package goods, including perishable goods, and include valves and/or seals that facilitate purging of the oxygen and other gas from the container storage compartment after the contents have been sealed within the container by either the packager and/or end-user thereby extending shelf-life and freshness. Humidity control packet inserts housed within the lid and separated by a physical barrier from the storage compartment to mitigate against contamination and/or adulteration of the contents are disclosed. The humidity control inserts may be employed with or without a lid that includes the valves and/or seals that facilitate purging of the storage compartment. The packaging containers are particularly well suited for small and medium batch packaging of bio-degradable material that may be stored for extended periods of time prior to use and then repeatedly accessed over time by an end-user or consumer.
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The present application claims benefit of and priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/838,785, filed Apr. 25, 2019, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
TECHNICAL FIELDThe technical field of the subject matter disclosed herein relates to packaging containers, and in particular to multi-use containers with child protective or resistant lids that are capable of extending the shelf-life and enhancing the freshness of perishable bio-degradable materials contained therein and to systems and methods for making and using such containers.
BACKGROUNDMulti-use child resistant containers, such as, but not limited to, plastic containers with multi-use child resistant caps or lids are commonly used to store and protect various materials, including prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) pharmaceutical products that are susceptible to being perishable or otherwise adulterated. Conventional approaches to preserve perishable material typically involves inclusion of a humidity stabilization packet comprising a drying agent (commonly referred to as a “desiccant”) in the container with the contents thereof. However, the inclusion of such desiccants can result in contamination or adulteration through undesirable contact.
Other conventional approaches have sought to remove or decrease oxygen levels in the gaseous atmosphere inside the container to extend the shelf-life of perishable material contents by depriving oxygen required for metabolic activity. Such conventional approaches, for example, are commonly employed in canning of animal, fungi, fruits, vegetables, and other plant-based products. While effective in greatly extending shelf-life, the canning process typically requires a large investment in production line machinery and has numerous design limitations that make the process impractical or otherwise unsuitable for implementation of a multi-use child protective or resistant container and/or for small to mid-size businesses and packaging operations. Also, canning is typically employs metal or metal coated containers, which can alter the taste of the packaged contents.
SUMMARYConsistent with the foregoing, described herein are packaging containers, systems, and methods that are capable of mitigating against child access while also preserving bio-degradable or perishable contents stored therein thereby extending the shelf-life and freshness the container contents. The packaging containers, systems, and methods disclosed herein are particularly well suited for small and medium batch packaging of bio-degradable material that may (depending on production and demand) be stored for extended periods of time prior to use and then repeatedly accessed over time by the end-user after being sold/distributed thereto.
Aspects of the current subject matter relate to child resistant/protective lids and containers that are capable of facilitating the (a) purging of oxygen and other gas from the container's storage compartment during packaging and subsequent use and/or (b) maintaining, drying, or otherwise controlling the humidity of the storage compartment while mitigating contamination or adulteration of the contents stored therein.
Particular aspects of the current subject matter are directed to the various structural components of the container and its rotatable child resistant/protective re-useable lid described herein including, but no limited to, the outer cap and inner seal components of the lid, their design and interaction with one another and other components, and the valves, seals, apertures, humidity packet inserts, and mechanisms that facilitate operation, use, and the manufacture container and constituent components thereof.
Additional details regarding the various aspects of the subject matter described herein are set forth in the accompanying drawings and further described below and/or are otherwise apparent therefrom. It should be understood that the descriptions and illustrations herein, while illustrative of various aspects of the disclosed subject matter, it is the claims that are intended to define the appropriate scope of the protected subject matter.
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification illustrate certain aspects of the subject matter disclosed herein and together with the description, help explain aspects associated with the disclosed implementations. When practical, the same or similar reference numbers denote the same or similar structures, features, or elements.
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate certain aspects of the subject matter disclosed herein and together with the description help explain the disclosed implementations.
Generally,
As illustrated in the various cross-sectional and detailed views depicted in
The open-end section of the inner seal component 220 includes an outer perimeter lip 221 that is configured to be seated on an upper surface of an inwardly extending circumferential lip or ledge 211 of the outer cap 210, when the outer cap 210 is in the decompressed position. The interaction between the inwardly extending circumferential lip 211 of the outer cap 210 and the outwardly extending circumferential lip 221 of the inner seal component 220 facilitates the mechanical coupling of the two components while allowing the outer cap 210 to move axially up and down relative to the inner seal component 220. The inner seal component 220 is thus held captive by and housed in the outer cap 210 such that the two components are adapted to move axially relative to one another. The outer cap and inner seal components may thus be formed as separate components and then snapped or coupled together, such that the circumferential lip 211 of the outer cap effectively functions as a retaining ring.
The inner seal component 220 includes circumferential threads 223 defined on the internal surface of the open-end section. The threads 223 are adapted to engage corresponding threads 313 defined on the outer perimeter surface of the upper section of the container receptacle 300. The lid 200 is thus attached to the receptacle 300 by screwing the lid 200 onto the upper section of receptacle 300 via threads 223 and 313.
The outer surface of the closed-end section of the inner seal component 220 and the opposing inner surface of the outer cap 210 are comprised of opposing sets of teeth 222, 212, respectively. The opposing sets of teeth 222, 212 are arranged in an annular configuration and adapted to engage with one another when the outer cap 210 is pushed down or compressed onto the inner seal 220 and rotated. Thus, to open a closed container 100, the user must both push down on the outer cap 210 so that the teeth 212 on the inside of the outer cap 210 engage the opposing teeth 222 on the outer surface of inner seal component 220 and while pushing down rotate the outer cap 210 (counterclockwise) thereby unscrewing the circumferential threads 223 on the inner seal component from the circumferential threads 313 on the container receptacle 300. The combination and complexity of the motor skills involved to perform this activity is difficult for young children and is thereby capable of satisfying child safety packaging requirements.
The closed-end section of the inner seal component 220 further includes a one-way relief valve 224 (best illustrated in
In another implementation illustrated in
As best illustrated
As best illustrated in
The container lid 200, and its constituent elements, may be formed of any suitable material including metal, glass, plastic, and/or wood. The valve and seal components 224, 224a, 225, 226, 226a may be mounted and/or molded-into the inner seal 220 component of the lid 200. Similarly, the container receptacle 300 may be formed of any suitable material including metal, glass, plastic, and/or wood. Lid and receptacle threads 223, 313 and other component elements may be mounted and/or molded into their respective component. In one implementation, the receptacle 300 can be made of clear glass or glass-like substance and the lid 200 can be formed of molded plastic.
It should be understood, that each component of the containers described herein may be manufactured or made by various methods and/or materials and the descriptions herein should not be limiting, but rather are provided by way of example. Thus, for example, the purge access plug, outer cap and inner seal may be made of a mostly rigid plastic that can be injection molded. The relief valve may be comprised of a combination of rigid plastic and flexible material, such as but not limited to silicone or rubber. The self-healing membrane may be comprised of silicone or elastic material which can stretch and contract in a sufficiently elastic manner to effectuate the desired seal of the storage compartment. The relief valve and self-healing membrane may be inserted into the injection molding tool for the inner seal prior to plastic injection such that molten plastic creates an air tight seal around the relief valve and/or self-healing membrane. While the valves and/or self-healing membrane components described herein may be mold-into the lid it should be understood that those components may be glued, press-fit or otherwise mechanically attached or bonded to the lid in a suitable manner.
As best illustrated in
As illustrated in
The implementations illustrated in
Once the initial packaging and purging is complete, the purged container 100, with the goods therein, can be shipped or distributed to an end consumer or user. Upon opening the container 100 to access the goods therein, the storage compartment is exposed to the atmosphere and hence is no longer purged of oxygen and atmospheric gas. After the end-user removes the goods in the container, the end-user can re-secure the lid to the receptacle by screwing the lid back on and thereby enclosing whatever remains of the goods in the container. A home kit can be provided to the end-user/consumer that includes a purge line (e.g., the needle 400 or purge tube 400′) and purge gas (e.g., nitrogen) so that the end-user/consumer can perform substantially the same purging steps described above as performed by the packager. Thus, after end-user access to the goods occurs, the remaining goods can be continued to be stored in an oxygen purged container thereby extending shelf-life and freshness for the next use event.
Illustrated in
As best illustrated in
The next illustrated layer is a suitable humidity control drying agent or desiccant 603, such a composition comprising one or more of the following montmorillonite clay, silica, synthetic zeolite or aluminosilicate, calcium oxide, calcium sulfate, salt (or mixture of salt and water) or other suitable drying agent material or composition.
The next component layer is a permeable layer 604 that allows, as illustrated in
The bottom outer most layer is a peel-away humidity control packet sealant layer 605, which seals the desiccant 603 from external exposure when peeled away or partially peeled-away. The sealant layer 605 includes a release tab 606 (best illustrated in
Although the lid 200′ of the container 100′ illustrated in
The humidity control packet insert 600 may be included during packaging or provided to the end-user as part of a kit with or without the purge tube or needle and gas. Upon opening the container to access the contents, the end user could (a) open the humidity packet insert packaged into the lid by peeling away the sealant layer 605, (b) replace the humidity packet insert with a new humidity packet insert, or (c) insert a humidity packet insert into the lid for the first time. After reattaching the lid to the receptacle, the end user may then purge the storage compartment as previously described to effectuate both an oxygen deprived and humidity controlled storage compartment after each use.
Although various aspects are herein disclosed in the context of certain preferred embodiments, implementations, and examples, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the present invention extends beyond the specifically disclosed embodiments to other alternative embodiments and/or uses of the inventive aspects and obvious modifications and equivalents thereof. In addition, while a number of variations of the aspects have been noted, other modifications, which are within their scope, will be readily apparent to those of skill in the art based upon this disclosure. It should be also understood that the scope this disclosure includes the various combinations or sub-combinations of the specific features and aspects of the embodiments disclosed herein, such that the various features, modes of implementation and operation, and aspects of the disclosed subject matter may be combined with or substituted for one another. Structural and logical substitutions and changes may be made that fall within the scope of this disclosure, which is intended to cover any adaptations and variations of the particular implemented described herein and combination of the various features and component elements thereof. The foregoing and various features, constructions, configurations, and aspects, together with those set forth in the claims and summarized above or otherwise disclosed herein, including the drawings, may alone or in any combination form claims for a case device, apparatus, system, method of manufacture, and/or use without limitation. Thus, it is intended that the scope of the present invention herein disclosed should not be limited by the particular disclosed embodiments or implementations described above, but should be determined only by a fair reading of the claims.
Claims
1. A multi-use child resistant container comprising:
- a threaded receptacle defining a storage compartment;
- a threaded lid adapted to being screwed onto and sealing said threaded receptacle, said lid comprising an outer cap and an inner seal coupled and housed within said outer cap, said outer cap when in a first position being both rotatable and axially movable relative to the inner seal and when in a second position being fixed and locked in position relative to said inner;
- the inner seal including a first one-way purge valve accessible through said outer cap and a second one-way relief valve, the first one-way purge valve adapted to facilitate the flow of pressurized purging gas into the storage compartment when the lid is attached to the receptacle and the second one-way relief valve adapted to facilitate the flow of container gas out of the storage compartment when the lid is attached to the receptacle;
- a humidity packet insert comprising a desiccant mounted within a housing defined by the inner seal and configured to come into contact with gas contained in the storage compartment; and
- a purge line configured to be inserted into the lid and communicate pressurized purging gas into said storage compartment through said first one-way purge valve when the lid is attached to the receptacle.
2. The multi-use child resistant container of claim 1, wherein the first one-way purge valve is an umbrella type one-way purge valve.
3. The multi-use child resistant container of claim 1, wherein the second one-way relief valve is a duckbill type one-way relief valve.
4. The multi-use child resistant container of claim 1, wherein the humidity packet insert further comprising a permeable layer configured to allow the container gas flow into the desiccant and thereby absorb moisture contained in the container.
5. The multi-use child resistant container of claim 1, wherein the humidity packet insert further comprising a peel-away humidity control packet sealant layer configured to seal the desiccant from external exposure.
6. The multi-use child resistant container of claim 1 further comprising a protective sheet positioned between said humidity packet insert and said storage compartment, said protective sheet comprising a plurality of apertures adapted to facilitate gas flow into and out of the storage compartment while providing a physical barrier between said humidity packet insert and said storage compartment.
7. The multi-use child resistant container of claim 6, wherein the lid and humidity packet insert are shipped to a packager in a concealed vacuum-packed bag without a sealant layer and only with the protective sheet to prevent degradation of the life of the desiccant.
8. The multi-use child resistant container of claim 1, wherein the humidity packet insert is included during packaging of the multi-use child resistant container.
9. The multi-use child resistant container of claim 1, wherein the humidity packet insert is provided to an end-user as part of a kit.
10. The multi-use child resistant container of claim 1, wherein the purge line is a needle.
11. A multi-use child resistant container comprising:
- a threaded receptacle defining a storage compartment;
- a threaded lid adapted to being screwed onto and sealing said threaded receptacle, said lid comprising an outer cap and an inner seal coupled and housed within said outer cap, said outer cap when in a first position being both rotatable and axially movable relative to the inner seal and when in a second position being fixed and locked in position relative to said inner;
- the inner seal including a first one-way purge valve accessible through said outer cap and a second one-way relief valve, the first one-way purge valve adapted to facilitate the flow of a first pressurized gas composition into the storage compartment when the lid is attached to the receptacle and the second one-way relief valve adapted to facilitate the flow of a second pressurized gas composition out of the storage compartment when the lid is attached to the receptacle; and
- a purge line configured to be inserted into the lid and communicate the first pressurized gas composition into said storage compartment through said first one-way purge valve when the lid is attached to the receptacle.
12. The multi-use child resistant container of claim 11, wherein the first one-way purge valve is an umbrella type one-way purge valve.
13. The multi-use child resistant container of claim 11, wherein the second one-way relief valve is a duckbill type one-way relief valve.
14. The multi-use child resistant container of claim 11, wherein the purge line is a needle.
15. A method of preserving perishable materials inside a multi-use child resistant container comprising:
- providing a storage compartment having a threaded receptacle;
- providing a threaded lid adapted to being screwed onto and sealing said threaded receptacle, said lid comprising an outer cap and an inner seal coupled and housed within said outer cap, said outer cap when in a first position being both rotatable and axially movable relative to the inner seal and when in a second position being fixed and locked in position relative to said inner;
- providing a first one-way purge valve accessible through said outer cap and a second one-way relief valve in the inner seal, the first one-way purge valve adapted to facilitate the flow of pressurized purging gas into the storage compartment when the lid is attached to the receptacle and the second one-way relief valve adapted to facilitate the flow of container gas out of the storage compartment when the lid is attached to the receptacle;
- providing a humidity packet insert comprising a desiccant mounted within a housing defined by the inner seal and configured to come into contact with gas contained in the storage compartment; and
- providing a purge line configured to be inserted into the lid and communicate pressurized purging gas into said storage compartment through said first one-way purge valve when the lid is attached to the receptacle.
16. The method of claim 15 further comprising:
- opening the humidity packet insert packaged into the lid by an end user.
17. The method of claim 16, wherein the opening the humidity packet insert packaged into the lid is by peeling away the sealant layer.
18. The method of claim 16 further comprising:
- replacing the humidity packet insert with a new humidity packet insert by the end user.
19. The method of claim 18 further comprising:
- inserting the humidity packet insert into the lid by the end user.
20. The method of claim 19 further comprising:
- purging the storage compartment by the end user to effectuate both an oxygen deprived and humidity controlled storage compartment after each use.
Type: Application
Filed: Apr 13, 2020
Publication Date: Oct 29, 2020
Applicant: The Kanvas Company Inc. (Newport Beach, CA)
Inventors: Joseph Gordon Doyle (Fountain Valley, CA), Andy Fathollahi (Newport Beach, CA), Alexander Wayne Gordon (Irvine, CA)
Application Number: 16/847,542