Patent Publication Number: US-2023142224-A1

Title: Child-resistant package

Description:
FIELD OF INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a child-resistant package, and more particularly, the present invention relates to a child-resistant package that can be opened by one hand. 
     BACKGROUND 
     A child-resistant package is known in the art as a special packaging that is hard, if not impossible, for a child to open but can be opened by adults. A child-resistant package is mandatory for controlled substances that if ingested by a child accidentally can be hazardous and life-threatening. However, the known child-resistant packages also become difficult for adults to open. Generally, a child-resistant package requires skillful use of both hands to open the packaging for gaining access to an interior volume of the packaging. 
     In some cases, people do not want containers to be easily opened by children or unauthorized individuals when the containers carry a substance that is harmful, controlled, dangerous, or costly. 
     Some beverages are subject to legal restrictions, such as most notably, alcoholic beverages. Another type of consumable that is restricted is pharmaceuticals and marijuana-based or hemp-based products. Casual consumption can be dangerous if consumed to excess or without proper use. A chief concern is limiting access to minors (individuals under the local legal age of majority) to avoid harmful consequences. Also, governments institute laws and regulations mandating child-protective barriers to use by minors of controlled substances, such as  cannabis  and  cannabis  products. 
     The European Union and the United States maintain regulations as to child-resistant packaging for drugs and other substances. The United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) regulated child-resistant packaging based on the Poison Prevention Packaging Act (PPPA). The special packaging requirements under the PPPA are directed towards designing packaging to make it significantly difficult for children under five years old to open the packaging or obtain a toxic or harmful amount of the substance therein within a reasonable amount of time. The requirements also maintain that it should not be difficult for ordinary adults to use the packaging properly. The PPPA requirements to not dictate that the packaging should be designed such that all children cannot open the packaging or obtain a toxic or hazardous amount within a reasonable time. The U.S. child-resistant packaging performance specifications are found in the regulation cited as 16 C.F.R. § 1700.15. The U.S. Food &amp; Drug Administration guidance on child-resistant packaging is available at https://www.fda.gov/media/70788/download as of August 2021. In the United States, individual states usually have their own child-resistant packaging regulations and guidance. 
     Considering the importance of child-resistant packages, a need is always there for an improved package that can be easily opened by an adult and preferably can be opened by a single hand. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The following presents a simplified summary of one or more embodiments of the present invention in order to provide a basic understanding of such embodiments. This summary is not an extensive overview of all contemplated embodiments and is intended to neither identify key or critical elements of all embodiments nor delineate the scope of any or all embodiments. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts of one or more embodiments in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later. 
     The invention is a child-resistant package that can be easily opened by an adult. 
     The invention is a child-resistant package that may be opened by a single hand. 
     The child-resistant package may be disposable, recyclable, or otherwise renewable. 
     In one aspect, disclosed is a child-resistant package that can be difficult to open by a child but easily opened by an adult. The disclosed child-resistant package can include a box cover and a tray that is slidably received into the box cover. It should be noted that the box cover and/or the tray may be composed of plastic, polymer, paperboard, cardboard, or other suitable materials to provide sufficient rigidity and flexibility. The box cover can be rectangular, having a top face, a bottom face, a left face, a right face, a rear face, and an open-front. The top face and the rear face can be of maximum area. The left face and the right face can be along the long sides of the box cover. The rear face and open-front can be along the short sides of the box cover. The tray can be of a shape commensurate to the shape of the box cover such as the tray can fit into the box cover. The tray can include a base, a left wall, a right wall, a front wall, a rear wall, and an open-top. 
     In one aspect, the left face or the right face of the box cover can have a first cutout of a shape ranging from oval to square. A second cutout of substantially an L-shape extends from the rear face to the bottom face of the box cover. On the left side or the right side of the tray can be a tab of a shape that corresponds to the shape of the first cutout in the box cover, such as the tab that can protrude from the first cutout when the tray is fully inserted into the box cover and the open-top of the tray is covered by the top face of the box cover. 
     In one aspect, the protruded tab from the first cutout restricts the movement of the tray relative to the box cover. To remove the tray from the box cover, a user can hold the packaging in a hand wherein the top face of the box cover faces upwards, the thumb or middle finger can be positioned over the tab and the index finger can be positioned, through the second cutout, over the tray. Thereafter, the tab can be depressed by the thumb or the middle finger, and upon depressing the tab, the tray can be pushed by the index finger resulting in the partial withdrawal of the tray from the box cover. Thereafter, the tray can be pulled out up to the desired length for gaining access to the interior of the tray. 
     In one aspect, the box cover and the tray can be made from a sheet of paperboard, cardboard, plastic, polymeric material, or mixtures or combinations thereof. 
     In one aspect, the first cutout in the box cover can be provided on the left face or the right face of the box cover. 
     These and other objects and advantages of the embodiments herein and the summary will become readily apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The accompanying figures, which are incorporated herein, form part of the specification and illustrate embodiments of the present invention. Together with the description, the figures further explain the principles of the invention and to enable a person skilled in the relevant arts to make and use the invention. 
         FIG.  1    is a bottom and side perspective view of a child-resistant package showing a tab protruding from a first cutout in a left face of a box cover and an L-shaped second cutout extending from a rear face to a bottom face of the box cover, according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG.  2    is a top and side perspective view of the child-resistant package showing a tray extended out for illustration, according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG.  3    is an exploded view of the child-resistant package, according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Subject matter will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof, and which show, by way of illustration, specific exemplary embodiments. Subject matter may, however, be embodied in a variety of different forms and, therefore, covered or claimed subject matter is intended to be construed as not being limited to any exemplary embodiments set forth herein; exemplary embodiments are provided merely to be illustrative. Likewise, a reasonably broad scope for claimed or covered subject matter is intended. Among other things, for example, the subject matter may be embodied as methods, devices, components, or systems. The following detailed description is, therefore, not intended to be taken in a limiting sense. 
     The word “exemplary” is used herein to mean “serving as an example, instance, or illustration.” Any embodiment described herein as “exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments. Likewise, the term “embodiments of the present invention” does not require that all embodiments of the invention include the discussed feature, advantage, or mode of operation. 
     The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of embodiments of the invention. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises”, “comprising,”, “includes” and/or “including”, when used herein, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. 
     The following detailed description includes the best currently contemplated mode or modes of carrying out exemplary embodiments of the invention. The description is not to be taken in a limiting sense but is made merely to illustrate the general principles of the invention, since the scope of the invention will be best defined by the allowed claims of any resulting patent. 
     Disclosed is a child-resistant package in a form of a container that can be manufactured as reusable or disposable. The disclosed child-resistant package can be opened by a single hand, thus making it easier for adults to open the disclosed child-resistant package and at the same time difficult for children to open. Unlike the prior art child-resistant packages that require a skillful combination of both hands, the disclosed child-resistant package can be opened by a skillful combination of a thumb and a finger, or a skillful combination of two fingers. This allows the disclosed child-resistant package to be opened easily by adults. 
     Referring to  FIGS.  1 - 3   , wherein  FIG.  1    shows a bottom and side perspective view of the child-resistant package  10 ,  FIG.  2    shows a top and side perspective view of the child-resistant package, and  FIG.  3    is an exploded view of the child-resistant package. The child-resistant package  10  can include a box cover  100  and a tray  200 . The child-resistant package  10  shown in  FIG.  1    is rectangular having a top face, a bottom face, a left face, a right face, a rear face, and an open-front. The top face and the bottom face are of maximum area, the left face and the right face can be along the long sides of the box cover, and the open-front and the rear face can be along the short sides. The child-resistant package can preferably be rectangular; however, a square child-resistant package is within the scope of the present invention. The box cover  100  can be enclosed from all sides except the open-front  110 . The tray  200  can be received into the box cover  100  through the open-front  110  (see  FIG.  2   ). The tray  200  can include a base, a left wall, a right wall, a front wall, a rear wall, and an open-top defining an inner volume of the tray  200 . Access to the inner volume of tray  200  can be gained through the open-top of tray  200 . The tray  200 , at its rear wall, can be inserted into the box cover  100  through the open-front  110  of the box cover  100 , wherein the rear wall of the tray  200  can juxtapose to the rear face of the box cover  100  and the open-top of the tray  200  can be covered by the top face of the box cover  100 . The tray  200  can slide into the box cover  100 , and similarly can be withdrawn. 
     Referring to  FIG.  1   , the boxes cover  100  can include the first cutout  120  in either the left face or the right face of the box cover  100 . The first cutout  120  in the right face of the box cover can be suitable for a right-handed person while the first cutout in the left face can be suitable for a left-handed person. However, a person irrespective of being right-handed or left-handed can easily open the disclosed child-resistant package  10  either using a thumb or a finger, preferably a middle finger. The first cutout  120  shown in  FIG.  1    is square, however, the first cutout  120  can be of a shape ranging from oval, round, square, semi-circular, or other suitable shape. A second cutout  130  can also be provided that can extend from the rear face to the bottom face of the box cover  100 , forming an L-shape. The second cutout  130  can be provided near the middle of the rear face. The dimension of the second cutout  130  can be such as a fingertip of an adult index finger can dig into the second cutout  130 . 
     Depending upon the position of the first cutout  120  in the left face or the right face of the box cover  100 , a tab  210  can be provided on the left wall or the right wall of the tray, such as the tab  210  can protrude from the first cutout  120  when the tray  200  is fully inserted into the box cover  100  and the open-top of the tray  200  is covered by the top face of the box cover  100 . The protruded tab  210  by interlocking against a wall of the box cover  100  restricts the movement of the tray  200  from the box cover  100 . To pull out the tray  200 , the disclosed child-resistant package  10  can be held in a hand with the top face of the box cover  100  facing upwards. Thereafter, the thumb of the hand can be placed on the tab  210  and the index finger of the hand can be positioned over the tray  200  through the second cutout  130 . It is to be understood that instead of the thumb, a finger other than the index finger can also be positioned over the tab  210 . Thereafter, the tab  210  can be depressed using a slight force by the thumb on the tab  210 . The box cover  100  and the tray  200  can be manufactured from a sheet of paperboard, cardboard, plastic, polymeric material, or mixtures or combinations thereof. The wall of the tray  200  can slightly bend or deflect under external pressure and can regain its shape upon the release of the external pressure. 
     Depressing the tab  210  by the thumb can cause the tab  210  to move inwards passing by the wall of the box cover  100 . The amount of force applied by the thumb on the tab  210  can be just for the tab  210  to pass the thickness of the wall of the box cover  100 . Using at least a minimum thickness of paperboard in the box may allow more effectively using one button that will not cause box to be crushed, while too thin of a wall gets crushed when using only one button. Once past the wall of the box cover  100 , the tray  200  can be pushed by the action of the index cover through the second cutout  130 . This forces the tray  200  to slide outwards, wherein the length of the movement of the tray  200  that comes out can be proportional to a length of the second cutout  130  along the bottom face of the box cover  100 . The tray  200  can then be pulled or pushed further using the same hand or another hand. It is to be understood that the tray  200  may not be pulled out completely but enough for gaining access to the interior volume of the tray, such as an object in the tray  200  can be picked by the fingers. For example, a pill or tablet can be picked by a user using the user&#39;s fingers from the tray  200 . The tab  210  urges against the wall of the box cover  100  while the tray  200  is moved relative to the box cover  100 , resulting in slight resistance. This may prevent the free movement of the tray  200  inside the box cover  100 . A protrusion of a thickness less than the thickness of the tab  210  can also be provided on an inner surface of the wall of the box cover  100  adjacent to a periphery of the open-front  110  (see  FIG.  2   ). The position of the protrusion  210  can correspond to the position of the tab  210  on the sidewall of the tray  200 , such as when the tray  200  is being pulled out, the protrusion can limit the travel distance of the tab  210 . Such a feature may prevent the tray  200  from coming out completely, however, such that the feature may be optional. 
     To close the package  10 , the tray  200  can be pushed into the box cover  100 , for example, a slight force can be applied to the front wall of the tray  200  by one or more fingers. The tab  210  when in its original position i.e., when the tray  200  is fully inserted into the box cover  100 , is released, and can protrude from the first cutout  120  securing the tray  200  into the box cover  100 . 
     Other and further embodiments utilizing one or more aspects of the systems and methods disclosed herein may be devised without departing from the spirit of Applicant&#39;s disclosure. For example, the systems and methods disclosed herein may be used alone or to form one or more parts of other containers, container components, and/or container systems. The locking and/or child-resistant mechanisms of the disclosure may be applied to various forms of containers. As another example, although the embodiments shown in the figures for illustrative purposes reflect one or more exemplary shapes of containers, tabs, holes, openings, and indentations, this is in no way intended to be limiting or exhaustive as, in use, various embodiments and modifications may be implemented using different configurations, whether for various types of products or otherwise. Further, the various methods and embodiments of the containers and components may be included in combination with each other to produce variations of the disclosed methods and embodiments. 
     Discussion of singular elements may include plural elements and vice-versa. References to at least one item followed by a reference to the item may include one or more items. 
     The apparatuses and methods described herein may be modified or altered to comprise more aspects, concurrent steps, simultaneous steps, or other variations. 
     It should be understood, of course, that the foregoing relates to exemplary embodiments of the invention and that modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims. Furthermore, a method herein described may be performed in one or more sequences other than the sequence presented expressly herein. 
     Skilled artisans may implement the described functionality in varying ways for each particular application, but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the invention. 
     The word “exemplary” is used exclusively herein to mean “serving as an example, instance, or illustration.” Any embodiment described herein as “exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments. 
     In this document, relational terms such as first and second, and the like may be used solely to distinguish one entity or action from another entity or action without necessarily requiring or implying any actual such relationship or order between such entities or actions. Numerical ordinals such as “first,” “second,” “third,” and such simply denote different singles of a plurality and do not imply any order or sequence unless specifically defined by the claim language. The sequence of the text in any of the claims does not imply that steps must be performed in a temporal or logical order according to such sequence unless it is specifically defined by the language of the claim. The steps may be interchanged in any order without departing from the scope of the invention as long as such an interchange does not contradict the claim language and is not logically nonsensical. 
     Furthermore, depending on the context, two elements may be connected to each other physically or in any other manner, through one or more additional elements. 
     While at least one exemplary embodiment has been presented in the foregoing detailed description, it should be appreciated that a vast number of variations exist. It should also be appreciated that the exemplary embodiments are only examples, and are not intended to limit the scope, applicability, or configuration of the invention in any way. Rather, the foregoing detailed description will provide those skilled in the art with a convenient road map for implementing the exemplary embodiments. Various changes may be made in the function and arrangement of elements without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims and the legal equivalents thereof. 
     While the foregoing written description of the invention enables one of ordinary skill to make and use what is considered presently to be the best modes thereof, those of ordinary skill will understand and appreciate the existence of variations, combinations, and equivalents of the specific embodiment, method, and examples herein. The invention should therefore not be limited by the above-described embodiment, method, and examples, but by all embodiments and methods within the scope and spirit of the invention as claimed.