Patent Publication Number: US-11027877-B2

Title: Locking carton

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE 
     This application claims the benefit of the filing date of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/681,117, filed Jun. 6, 2018, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
    
    
     FIELD 
     The present invention relates generally to a locking carton and in particular to a locking carton having an outer sleeve with a pair of locking notches and an insert having a bridge with a pair of end locking tabs corresponding to the pair of locking notches and related methods. 
     BACKGROUND 
     In the field of locking packaging for a wide range of consumer goods, it is desired to provide consumers with secure packaging, particularly healthcare and medication packaging, having features to restrict or prevent access to the contents by a certain group of individuals while at the same time providing access with some degree of ease by another group of individuals. 
     SUMMARY 
     In accordance with one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a locking carton including an insert having top panel, bottom panel, front wall, back wall and side walls, wherein the bottom panel is composed of a bridge having at least one pair of locking tabs at the ends thereof and material cutouts in the bottom panel and side walls adjacent to the bridge; and an outer sleeve having top, bottom, back wall and side walls, wherein the side walls have at least one pair of locking notches corresponding to the at least one pair of locking tabs when in a locked position. 
     In accordance with another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a locking mechanism, including a bridge having at least one pair of locking tabs at the ends thereof and material cutouts in a bottom panel and side walls adjacent to the bridge, wherein the bridge is moveable between a relaxed position and a flexed position; and a pair of locking notches corresponding to the at least one pair of locking tabs when in a locked position. 
     In accordance with another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a method including moving a bridge of an insert from a relaxed position to a flexed position by sliding an end of the insert into a sleeve; and moving the bridge of the insert from the flexed position to the relaxed position by sliding the insert into the sleeve until a pair of locking tabs at the ends of the bridge protrude through a pair of locking notches of the sleeve, thereby locking the insert within the sleeve. 
     These and other aspects of the present disclosure will become apparent upon a review of the following detailed description and the claims appended thereto. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a top perspective view of the front of an outer sleeve and insert of a locking carton in an assembled configuration in accordance with the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a bottom perspective view of the front of an outer sleeve and insert of the locking packaging container in an assembled configuration; 
         FIG. 3  is a print side up view of the insert unglued and unassembled; 
         FIG. 4  is a print side up view of the outer sleeve unglued and unassembled; 
         FIG. 5  is a bottom view of the insert first going into the sleeve and tabs locking into a first set of notches; 
         FIG. 6  is a bottom view of the bridge being compressed into a bowing arc to allow the tabs to pass by the walls of the sleeve while being pushed fully into the sleeve; and 
         FIG. 7  is the bottom view of the insert and sleeve when fully inserted and locked into a second set of notches. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The locking carton is a two-piece paper board design that is composed of an insert and an outer sleeve. The outer sleeve contains at least one set of side notches  1 ,  2 ,  3 ,  4  that correspondingly engage with a set of insert tabs  25 ,  26 . The insert contains a bridge  24  having insert tabs  25 ,  26  at each end and cutouts on the side walls  36 ,  34  and glue flap  39  and bottom panel  35  adjacent to the bridge  24 . 
     This locking carton uses the combination of the pair of side tabs  25 ,  26  from a die cut bridge  24  on the insert and corresponding outer sleeve side notches  1 , 2 , 3 , 4  to lock and unlock. The bridge  24  on the bottom of the insert will bend or straighten depending on the location of the tabs  25 ,  26  in relation to the outer sleeve. This creates the tension and spring required for the tabs  25 ,  26  to lock and unlock. The size and shape of the cut outs in conjunction with the width of the bridge  24  is what controls how much tension and spring the locking tabs  25 ,  26  have. This variable makes it possible for the locking mechanism to be used on several different sized cartons. When fully assembled the tabs are in the locked position in the outer sleeve. The package is opened by compressing the locking tabs  25 ,  26  simultaneously and causing the bridge  24  to bow upward inside the insert slightly releasing the tabs  25 ,  26  from the notches  1 ,  2 ,  3 ,  4  in the outer sleeve. In an embodiment, a second set of notches  1 ,  2  are optional in the outer sleeve to cooperate with the tabs  25 ,  26  or to cooperate with internal stops, to prevent the insert from being pulled out all the way. The tension on the tabs  25 ,  26  from the bridge  24  design causes the carton to automatically lock after sliding the insert into the closed position. 
       FIG. 1  shows a top perspective view of the front of an outer sleeve  50  and an insert  60  of a locking carton in an assembled configuration and  FIG. 2  shows a bottom perspective view of the front of the outer sleeve  50  and insert  60  of the locking packaging container in an assembled configuration in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
       FIG. 3  is a print side up view of the insert  50  unglued and unassembled and  FIG. 4  is a print side up view of the outer sleeve  60  unglued and unassembled. 
       FIG. 5  is a bottom view of the insert  50  first going into the sleeve  60  and the tabs  25 ,  26  locking into a first set of the notches  1 ,  2 . 
       FIG. 6  is a bottom view of the bridge  24  being compressed into a bowing arc to allow the notches  25 ,  26  to pass by the walls  8 ,  12  of the sleeve  60  while being pushed fully into the sleeve  60 .  FIG. 7  is the bottom view of the insert  50  and sleeve  60  when fully inserted and locked into a second set of notches  3 ,  4 . 
     The disclosure will be further illustrated with reference to the following specific examples. It is understood that these examples are given by way of illustration and are not meant to limit the disclosure or the claims to follow. 
     Brief Statements for Assembling. 
     Referencing  FIG. 4  the process of gluing the sleeve begins with flipping the sleeve to its unprinted side and folding the crease  15  at 180 degrees. 
     Place an even strip of glue vertically onto the glue flap  7 . 
     Next panel  8  of the top 13 will be folded 180 degrees at the score  17  to overlap the glue flap  7  of the bottom  11  and adhere together. Score  14  should preferably be 1/32 away from panel  8 . 
     Proceed with erecting the sleeve  60  into a rectangular shape, and fold the dust flaps  18 ,  19  at 90 degrees towards the inside of the sleeve. 
     Fold the left seal end  9  down over the top of the dust flaps  18 ,  19 . 
     Apply an even strip of glue horizontally to the top of the left seal end  9 . 
     Fold the right seal end  10  over the top of the left seal end  9  to adhere them together. 
     Referencing  FIG. 3  the gluing process begins with flipping the insert  50  to the uncoated or unprinted side, fold the insert 180 degrees at the working score  30 . 
     Place an even strip of glue vertically on the glue flap  7 . 
     Fold the panel  34  at 180 degrees at the score  28  to overlap the glue flap  39  and adhere them together. Score  33  should preferably be 1/32 away from panel  34 . 
     Erect the insert  50  into a rectangular shape. 
     Close the tuck flap side of the insert  50  by folding the dust flaps  42 ,  43  at a 45-degree angle and bending scores  27  and  32  at a 90-degree angle slipping the friction tuck between the cartons front panel and dust flaps. 
     Repeat for the bottom tuck  38 ,  31  and dust flaps  40 , 41 . 
     Apply little pressure to top panel  37  at tray area at the back-fold crease  20 . 
     The panel will start folding into itself at score  21 , simultaneously back fold crease  20 . 
     Continue to bend and crease  20  until it reaches a 90-degree angle with the bottom of carton and score  21  to lay flat onto the bottom panel  35 . 
     Repeat previous step for the other flap of trap at the crease  23  and the score  22 . 
     Place pointer finger in the center of the bridge  24  located on bottom of the insert  50 , use your thumb and middle finger to slightly compress the locking tabs while pressing the bridge down. 
     Place product inside the insert  50 . 
     Apply light pressure onto locking tabs and insert into the outer sleeve; continue past first set of locking notches  3 ,  4  (optional) until the insert  50  cannot go any further and the set of locking tabs locks in the end set of locking notches. 
     Brief Steps for Unlocking/Opening. 
     With one hand apply pressure to both locking tabs  25 ,  26  simultaneously, while pulling the insert  50  containing the product out of the sleeve  60  using the outer sleeve finger voids  5  with the other hand. 
     Although various embodiments have been depicted and described in detail herein, it will be apparent to those skilled in the relevant art that various modifications, additions, substitutions, and the like can be made without departing from the spirit of the disclosure and these are therefore considered to be within the scope of the disclosure as defined in the claims which follow.