MX2008008921A - A child resistant locking arrangement for a container - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a container for solids or liquid and a method of opening a container. The container comprises a hollow body which holds the contents and a closure which cooperates with the body to close the container. The closure comprises an opening member which is movable from a retracted position to an opening position in which the closure can be opened. The container further comprises a locking member for securing the opening member, the locking member being movable between a locking position in which the opening member is kept secured in the retracted position and an unlocked position in which the opening member is movable into the opening position.

Description

A CHILD-PROOF LOCK MODE FOR A CONTAINER FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a container that may contain tablets or liquids, for example, for use in the pharmaceutical, chemical and foodstuff industries and in particular to a one-child lock mode for a container. The invention also relates to a method of opening a childproof container. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Containers having childproof elements are now generally available, but these containers are typically very difficult to open for persons with disabilities or advanced age. Reference should now be made to US Patent No. 5,908,125 and other patents in the same area of technology. In general, child resistant containers require the user to simultaneously tighten and turn the closure, or press and turn the closure, to release the closure of the container body. However, older people or people with dexterity problems find that the force required to squeeze or press the closure and simultaneously rotate the closure is too much or that they experience pain when trying to open the closure. Those who suffer from rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis will find that they have to avoid any ref.194518 type of movement, which involves the grip, twist or flexion of the wrist. US Patent No. 4,535,903 discloses a medicine bottle having a lid which is provided with a cavity and complementary grooves and inner chamber by means of which a panel can be slid in and out of the lid. When the panel is fully inserted inside the lid, there are no projections on the lid to facilitate removal of the lid from the jar. When completely retracted from the lid, the panel allows the user to lift the lid thus allowing access to the bottle. Although the lid can only be opened after sliding the panel out of the geometry of the lid, the panel is not blocked for children playing with it. This means that if a child accidentally slides the panel out, the container can then be opened. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a container that overcomes or alleviates the drawbacks of known devices and that provides a container that is easy to open, in particular, for people with disabilities and elderly people and that the container is child proof. In this way, the potential user will easily access the content of the container, but at the same time a large barrier of entry is provided for children. The aforementioned object is achieved by providing a container for solids or liquids comprising a hollow body controlling the contents and a closure which contributes to the body to close the container, the closure comprises an opening member that can be moved from a retracted position to an opening position in which the closure can be opened. The container further comprises a locking member for securing the opening member, the locking member being movable between a locking position in which the opening member is held secured in the retracted position and an unlocked position in which the locking member opening can move in the open position. The main advantage of the invention is that it provides a container with a great barrier of entry for children and at the same time it is easy to use for the elderly and also suitable for people with disabilities, for example people suffering from arthritis or other impediments in the hands. This advantage is achieved through the "child-proof element of double action". First, the locking member must be moved to the unlocked position. Secondly, the opening member can be moved, for example slid to the open position and the container can now be opened. According to at least one embodiment of the invention, the locking member can move with respect to both the body and the closure. According to at least one embodiment of the invention, an actuator means is provided which automatically moves the locking member from the unlocked position back to the locked position. This means that the childproof element is always active when the closure is closed after use and without the user having to manually move the locking member back to the locked position. According to a first embodiment of the invention, an actuator means is provided which automatically moves the locking member from the unlocked position back to the locked position when the closure opening member is moved back to the retracted position from the open position . When the container of a first embodiment of the invention is closed after use and the opening member is slid back into the retracted position, it simultaneously and automatically moves the locking part back into its locked position. According to a first modality of the invention, the actuator means comprises a protruding part in the locking member that contributes a protruding edge in the opening member to move the locking member from the unlocked position to the locked position when the opening member is moved back into position folded According to a first embodiment of the invention, the protruding part is elastically connected to the blocking member. According to a second embodiment of the invention the actuator means comprises at least one spring member arranged in the locking member for automatically moving the locking member from the unlocked position to the locked position. In the second embodiment of the invention the locking member is automatically moved back to the locked position as soon as the opening member has been slid into the open position. In this way, when the container is closed after use and the opening member is slid back to the retracted position, the locking member is already in the locked position and the opening member is therefore locked in the retracted position. According to at least one embodiment of the invention, the closure additionally comprises a cover in whose cover the opening member is mounted in a manner slidable According to at least one embodiment of the invention, the lid comprises a first section fixed to the body and a second section which is installed at the pressure in the body. According to at least one embodiment of the invention, the first and second sections of the lid are arranged on an axis with one another through a hinge. According to at least one embodiment of the invention, the second section of the lid is provided with a sealing ring for sealing the access opening of the container. According to at least one embodiment of the invention, the opening member is provided with at least one flange that fits in at least one notch in the container when the opening member is in the retracted position. The locking member locks the opening member so that it can not be moved in the lateral direction and the flange engaged in the notch is a means provided to secure the means of opening any longitudinal movement in the retracted position. According to a first embodiment of the invention, the opening member and the locking member are provided with indicia.

According to a first embodiment of the invention, the indication marks on the opening member and the blocking member respectively are aligned in the unlocked position. According to a first embodiment of the invention, the indication marks on the opening member and the blocking member respectively are not aligned in the locked position. According to a first embodiment of the invention, the indicia are protruding from the container material in such a way that they can be felt by touch. The tactile means are provided, that is to say the indications that can be felt to the touch to facilitate the manipulation of the container when the vision is poor, that is to say in the dark or for the users who are visual weak. According to at least one embodiment of the invention, a method is provided for opening a container for solids or liquids comprising a hollow body containing the contents and a closure cooperating with the body for closing the container, the closure comprising a member of opening, and a blocking member to block the opening member, the method comprises the following steps; - move the blocking member to a position unlocked, move the opening member from a retracted position to an open position, and open the closure of the container by raising the opening member. The force required to open the closure is very small, which means that it is avoided to rotate the lid together with the application of a force (push or push). Any movement of the hand including the grip, twist or flexion of the wrist is also avoided. According to a first embodiment of the invention, moving the locking member involves turning a locking ring to the unlocked position. According to a second embodiment of the invention, moving the locking member involves pressing a locking button to the unlocked position. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES The present invention will now be described, by way of example, in more detail by means of embodiments and with reference to the attached figures, in which: Figure 1 shows a side view of a first embodiment of the container in the locked position, Figure 2 shows a side view of a first embodiment of the container in the unlocked (but closed) position, Figure 3 illustrates a perspective view of a first embodiment of the container in the open position, Figure 4 illustrates a perspective view of a first embodiment of the container with the closure open, Figure 5 shows a perspective view of the upper part of the container of a first embodiment having a piece of the lid cut away showing the details of the member Figure 6 illustrates a perspective view of a first embodiment of the blocking member, Figure 7 illustrates a perspective view from below of the opening member of a first embodiment, and Figure 8 illustrates a perspective view of a first modality of the cover. Figure 9 shows a perspective view of a second embodiment of the container in the locked position. Figure 10 shows a perspective view of a second embodiment of the container in the unlocked position and ready for opening, Figure 11 illustrates a perspective view of a second embodiment of the blocking member, Figure 12 illustrates a perspective view of a second embodiment of the container with the closure open, Figure 13 shows a perspective view of the upper part of the container of a second embodiment that it has a piece of the cut closure showing the details of the blocking member, and Figure 14 illustrates a perspective view from below of the opening member of a second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION In Figures 1 and 2, a container according to a first embodiment of the invention is shown. The container 1 comprises a hollow body 2 for containing a solid content, such as tablets, or a liquid content, a closure 3 for closing the container and a blocking member 8. The hollow body 2 is a tubular shape having a closed end by a bottom wall 4 and an opposite end in the form of a neck partially covered by an upper wall 5 formed with an access hole 6. The bottom of the container, the bottom wall and / or the bottom parts of the hollow body can be transparent , which makes possible an approximate visual calculation of the number of tablets that remain. The closure 3 of the container comprises a cover 20 for sealing the opening of the container, that is to say the access hole 6, and an opening member 10 that functions as a lever for opening the closure, see Figures 3 and 4. The closure can be adapted to any type of container design, ie it can be used flat, square, round. Preferably, the container is thin to facilitate manipulation thereof by people with severe arthritis or other hand impediments, as these suffer from difficulties in grasping large objects. Returning again to Figure 1 and 2, the opening member 10 and the blocking member 8 are provided with indicia 7, 9, which indicate the specific positions of the opening member and the blocking member respectively. In Figure 1, the indication mark 7 on the blocking member is not aligned with the indication mark 9 on the opening member which means that the opening member is blocked by the locking member in its retracted position. In this way, Figure 1 illustrates the closed and locked condition of the container. Figure 2 illustrates the closed but unlocked condition of the container. The indication marks align indicating that the opening member is free to move. In this manner, the opening member can be moved from the retracted position to the opening position shown in Figure 3. The closure can now be opened by raising or lowering the distal end 11 of the opening member 10. In the Figure 3, the opening member 10 has been slid into the open position and the opening member can now be used as a lever to open the container and thus minimize the force required to open the closure 3. The lid 20 comprises a first section 21 fixed to the hollow body 2 and a second section 27, which is rotatably arranged with the first section around a hinge 28. A part of the lid 20 and the hinge 28 is now visible below the opening member 10 in Figure 3. When the closure is raised to be opened, the second section 27 of the lid 20 rotates around the hinge 28, ie the closure is not removed from the container when it is open. The hinge is preferably a so-called integrated hinge. In Figure 4 the closure 3 is fully open and an object can be removed from the container when tilting it. The closure is a snap-on lid, which is airtight and easily opened by using both hands or using one hand and, for example, the edge of a table. In the lid 20 an efficient seal is provided by the sealing ring 25 which is installed inside or outside the access hole 6 when the lid is closed on the container. At the upper distal end of the container, just below the access hole, the small notches 30 can be seen within which the flanges 14 are installed when the opening member is in the retracted position. This element additionally ensures the closure in the retracted position. The flanges 14 engaged in the notches 30 are means provided in the container to see that the closure remains closed even if you try to force. The number of ridges and notches are selected in relation to the size and shape of the closure and the hollow body respectively. Figure 4 also shows the locking member, preferably being a locking ring 8, which can rotate freely with respect to both the hollow body 2 and the closure 3. Figure 6 shows the locking ring 8 in detail. With reference to both, Figures 4 and 6, and the locking ring is provided with a circular edge 32 having at least one opening 33 therein. The outer periphery of the edge 32 is perpendicular to the surface of the locking ring and the inner periphery of the edge 32 shows an inclined surface. When the locking member is in its locked position in the closed container, the outer periphery of the edge 32 stops any movement of the opening member 10 from its retracted position. At least one projection 16 inside the opening member is stopped by the edge 32 and prevents the opening member from moving from the retracted position. When the locking member is in its unlocked position, the opening member can be slid into the open position since the projection 16 in the opening member can now pass through the opening 33 in the edge of the locking member. . However, due to the tilted design of projection 16, what can seen in Figure 7, and the same inclined design of the inner surface of the edge 32, the projection 16 can pass over the edge 32 when the opening member is pushed back to the retracted position, without it being necessary to pass through from opening 33 on the way back. In the embodiment shown in Figure 4, a projection 16 is provided inside the opening member. However, in another embodiment (not shown) two projections are provided inside the opening member. In that embodiment, at least two openings 33 in the ridge 32 must be provided and also two slots 24 in the lid. The projection 16 inside the opening member is slightly elongated but may also have any suitable shape. In Figure 5 the locking member 8 is shown through a cut in the opening member and a protruding part 34 can be observed disposed in the locking ring 8, which is a part of the driving means 34, 15 that moves automatically the locking member from the unlocked position back to the locked position when the opening member is moved back to the retracted position after the container has been closed. When the lid is closed and the opening member is slid back into the retracted position, an edge protruding 15 inside the opening member engages the protruding part 34 in the locking member 8 and the locking member is rotated to the locking position at the same time that the opening member is moved back to its retracted position. Preferably, the protruding part 34 is elastically disposed in the locking member such that it will flex gently downwardly allowing the opening member to be slid into the open position. However, the protruding part 34 may instead be disposed in the opposite direction in the locking ring such that the locking member 8 is moved from the unlocked position to a locked position already when the opening member is slid towards the opening position. Accordingly, the protruding portion disposed elastically will flex gently downward when the opening member is moved back to the retracted position. Figure 7 and Figure 8 show the opening member 10 and the lid 20 respectively. When mounted in the container 1, the opening member 10 is slidably attached to the lid 20 and together form the closure 3. The mode being such that the opening member is slidable in a lateral direction through the lid. The opening member comprises two flanges 12, 13 extending along the longitudinal edges respective of the opening member. The two elongated tabs of the opening member are each arranged around the edges 22, 23 provided along the respective longitudinal sides of the cover 20. In addition, the cover has an elongated slot 24 for receiving the projection 16 in such a way that that the opening member can slide over the lid when the locking member is in the unlocked position. In Figures 9 to 14, a container according to a second embodiment of the invention is shown. Structurally, the container in accordance with the second embodiment has many features in common with the container of the first embodiment described above. For this reason and in order to avoid duplication of the description, only structural differences will be described in detail and reference is made to the above description of the first modality. Figure 9 shows a container according to a second embodiment of the closed and locked position. The container 1 has a lock 3 for closing the hollow body 2 and a locking member 40. To unlock the opening member 10 the locking member 40 has to be moved, i.e. pressed, see Figure 10, and the locking member opening can then be slid to the opening position. As is also the case in the first modality of In the invention, the lid 20 of the second embodiment comprises a first section 21 fixed to the hollow body 2 and a second section 27, which is rotatably arranged with the first section around a hinge 28. Figure 11 shows the locking member of the second embodiment of the present invention, which is in the form of a push button 40. The push button locks the opening member 10 in a non-recessed upper position by means of a clasp 47 which engages the projection member 16 inside of the opening member. The blocking member 40 is disposed in the first section 21 of the lid 20. The push button comprises a rod 46 for receiving the locking member in the upper wall 5 of the container and at least one leg 45 for keeping it in the proper place. This additionally comprises at least one actuator means 42, 44 and the clasp 47 having an edge 48 at its distal end. Optionally, the blocking member 40 is made of a different color from the color (s) used for the container 2 and / or opening member 10 in a manner that is easy to locate by a user. Figure 12 shows the container of the second embodiment in a fully open position and the contents inside the container, i.e. a tablet can be taken through the access hole 6. A substantially circular cavity 50 is provided in the upper part 5 of the container for the storage of a dose, ie a tablet or a divided tablet. This may be convenient if the recommended dose is half a tablet. It is not advisable to put it back in the container, since it would be lost between the rest of the dose. In Figure 13 the lock mode is shown in detail. The edge 48 of the clasp 47 engages the projection 16 of the opening member. When a pressure is applied to the locking member the actuating means 42, 44 is compressed and the clasp descends whereby the projection 16 is released and the opening member is unlocked. When the force of the pressure is withdrawn from the locking member it automatically returns to the raised position, i.e. the locked position shown in Figure 9, due to the effect of a spring of the actuating means 42, 44. The actuating means consists of at least one elastic element 42, 44, but preferably two, arranged as curved legs of the locking member 40. In the upper part 5 of the container a space 54 is arranged to receive a rod 46 as well as the clasp 47 and thus allowing that the locking member 40 be sufficiently pressed to release the clasp of the projection 16 in the opening member. The opening member 10 for the second embodiment of the invention is shown in detail in Figure 14. projection 16 has an inclined portion 16a and a rectangular portion 16b. The rectangular portion 16b is engaged in the locking member of the opening member together with the edge 48 of the clasp 47. The design of the inclined portion 16a makes it possible to slide the opening member back towards the retracted position when the container is closed without sinking the locking member 40. The snap being slightly elastic simplifies the passage of the edge 48 by the projection 16, so that the projection 16 passes without problems the edge 48 when the opening member is slid back to the retracted position. As it is in the case of the first embodiment of the invention, the lid 27 has an elongated slot 24 for receiving the projection 16 in such a way that the opening member can slide on the lid when the opening member is moved to and from the unlocked position. Furthermore, it will be understood that the invention is not limited to the described embodiments but can be modified in many different ways without departing from the scope of the appended claims. It is noted that in relation to this date, the best method known to the applicant to carry out the aforementioned invention, is that which is clear from the present description of the invention.

Claims (17)

1. CLAIMS Having described the invention as above, the contents of the following claims are claimed as property: 1. - A container for solids or liquids characterized in that they comprise a hollow body containing the contents and a closure that contributes with the body to close the container , the closure comprises an opening member that can be moved from a retracted position to an open position in which the closure can be opened where the container comprises a locking member to secure the opening member, the locking member can be moved between a locking position in which the opening member is held secured in the retracted position and an unlocked position in which the opening member can move to the open position.
2. 2. A container according to claim 1, characterized in that the blocking member can move with respect to both the body and the closure.
3. 3. A container according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that an actuating means automatically moves the locking member from the unlocked position back to the locked position.
4. 4. A container according to claim 3, characterized in that the actuator means automatically moves the locking member from the unlocked position back to the locked position when the closing opening member is moved back to the retracted position from the open position.
5. 5. - A container according to claim 4, characterized in that the actuator means comprises a protruding part in the blocking member that contributes a protruding edge in the opening member to move the locking member from the unlocked position to the position blocked when the opening member is moved back to its retracted position.
6. 6. A container according to claim 5, characterized in that the protruding part is elastically connected to the blocking member.
7. 7. - A container according to claim 3, characterized in that the actuator means comprises at least one spring member arranged in the locking member to automatically move the locking member from the unlocked position to the locked position.
8. 8. A container according to any of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the closure further comprises a cover in whose cover the opening member is slidably mounted.
9. 9. - A container in accordance with the claim 8, characterized in that the cover comprises a first section firmly attached to the body and a second section that is installed under pressure in the body.
10. 10. A container according to claim 9, characterized in that the first and second sections of the lid are arranged rotatably with each other through a hinge.
11. 11. A container according to claim 10, characterized in that the second section of the lid is provided with a sealing ring to seal the access hole of the container.
12. 12. A container according to claim 1, characterized in that the opening member is provided with at least one flange that fits in at least one notch in the container when the opening member is in the retracted position.
13. 13. A container according to claim 1, characterized in that the opening member and the blocking member are provided with indicia.
14. 14. A container according to claim 12, characterized in that the indication marks on the opening member and the blocking member respectively are aligned in the unlocked position.
15. 15. A container in accordance with the claim 13, characterized in that the indication marks on the opening member and the blocking member respectively are not aligned in the locked position.
16. 16. A container according to claim 13, characterized in that the indicia mark protrude from the material of the container in such a way that they can be felt by touch.
17. 17. - A method for opening a container for solids or liquids, characterized in that it comprises a hollow body containing the contents and a closure that contributes with the body to close the container, the closure comprises an opening member, and a blocking member to lock the opening member, the method comprises the following steps: moving the locking member to an unlocked position, moving the opening member from a retracted position to an open position, and opening the closure of the container by raising the locking member; opening.