Patent Application
20220219870
The present disclosure generally relates to product packaging. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to child-resistant packaging for storing regulated products therein.
Regulated products are generally required to be sold and stored in child-resistant packaging so that children cannot access the contents therein.
For example, cannabis is becoming legal for recreational and medicinal use in an increasing number of countries around the world. In these countries, cannabis is commonly commercially available in the form of pre-rolled joints (or “pre-rolls”), similar in form to cigarettes. Pre-rolls are convenient in that a user does not need to roll their own joint in order to smoke cannabis.
Pre-rolls are generally sold individually or in groups of two to ten. Individually sold pre-rolls are typically packaged in plastic tubes having a child-resistant lid, similar to those used for prescription pill bottles. Groups of pre-rolls, however, are typically sold in packaging similar to that used for cigarettes—i.e. a pack in which a plurality of pre-rolls may be stored.
As a result, the child-resistant features used for the pre-roll packages are considerably different from those used for the individually sold pre-rolls. For example, the pre-roll packages may be outfitted with child-resistant features that are single-use in that, once the packaging is opened, the child-resistant feature will no longer function (e.g. the package may be perforated such that the top may be torn off). Alternatively, some pre-roll packages include a plastic insert having tabs that extend out of apertures formed in the package that may be depressed in order to allow the plastic insert to be removed. However, such configurations complicate manufacturing, as multiple types of materials are required to produce a single package. Further, after multiple uses, the plastic insert may become permanently deformed, making it difficult even for adults to remove the insert from the package.
Thus, there exists a need for child-resistant packaging for regulated products that is easy to manufacture and capable of being opened multiple times without affecting the usability thereof.
The present disclosure recognizes that there are problems with existing child-resistant packaging for regulated products, including those for containing cannabis products.
In one aspect, the present disclosure relates to a child-resistant package for a regulated product, the package comprising: a housing having an open end, a plurality of release tabs formed in a wall thereof, and a locking edge defined on an inside surface thereof; and an insert for containing the regulated product slidably received through the open end of the housing, the insert having: an openable end for accessing the regulated product, the openable end openable when the insert is at least partially removed from the housing; and a locking tab positioned on an outside surface of the insert having a plurality of ends that are each aligned with one of the plurality of release tabs, the locking tab biased such that each of the plurality of ends contact the locking edge when sliding the insert out of the housing without depressing the plurality of release tabs.
In another aspect, the present disclosure relates to use of the child-resistant package described herein for storing a regulated product. The regulated product may comprise one or more cannabis products.
Other aspects and features of the methods of the present disclosure will become apparent to those ordinarily skilled in the art upon review of the following description of specific embodiments.
These and other features of the present disclosure will become more apparent in the following detailed description in which reference is made to the appended drawings. The appended drawings illustrate one or more embodiments of the present disclosure by way of example only and are not to be construed as limiting the scope of the present disclosure.
The present disclosure generally relates to child-resistant packaging and, in particular, to child-resistant packaging for a regulated product. The child-resistant packages of the present disclosure afford a number of advantages over conventional packages. For example, the child-resistant packages may be used multiple times without affecting their usability. As described above, some conventional child-resistant packages, such as those having a plastic insert defining deformable tabs, may become permanently deformed after multiple uses, which may make it more difficult to access the regulated product contained therein or, in some cases, may make it so that a child can easily slide the insert out of the package.
Another advantage of the child-resistant packages of the present disclosure is that they may be manufactured with relative ease. In more detail, the child-resistant packages may be formed of a simple two-piece construction. As well, each piece of the two-piece construction may advantageously be formed of the same material. Such configurations significantly simplify the manufacturing process, which may greatly reduce the costs associated with the production of the child-resistant packages. As well, due to the simplicity of production, the manufacturing processes may be readily upscaled to industrially relevant levels, meaning that the child-resistant packages of the present disclosure are not limited to smaller-scale applications (e.g. craft cannabis products). In contrast, as described above, conventional child-resistant packaging for regulated products may comprise multiple pieces that are each formed of a different material, which complicates the manufacturing process significantly.
Yet another advantage of child-resistant packages of the present disclosure is that they may be biodegradable. As discussed above, conventional child-resistant packaging may include one or more plastic components. Unfortunately, in the same manner as cigarette packs, product packaging for regulated products such as cannabis products is often not disposed of properly. Thus, a package that is biodegradable may be particularly advantageous, as, in the event that it is not properly disposed of, it will at least degrade over time without having any potentially environmentally harmful components such as plastics, metals, and the like remain.
Reference will now be made in detail to exemplary embodiments of the disclosure, wherein numerals refer to like components, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings that further show exemplary embodiments, without limitation.
In some embodiments, the present disclosure relates to a child-resistant package for a regulated product, the package comprising: a housing having an open end, a plurality of release tabs formed in a wall thereof, and a locking edge defined on an inside surface thereof; and an insert for containing the regulated product slidably received through the open end of the housing, the insert having: an openable end for accessing the regulated product, the openable end openable when the insert is at least partially removed from the housing; and a locking tab positioned on an outside surface of the insert having a plurality of ends that are each aligned with one of the plurality of release tabs, the locking tab biased such that each of the plurality of ends contact the locking edge when sliding the insert out of the housing without depressing the plurality of release tabs.
As used herein, “regulated product” refers to a consumer product that is regulated in some capacity by a government agency. Examples of regulated products include tobacco products, cannabis products, pharmaceuticals, and the like.
As used herein, “child-resistant package” or “child-resistant packaging” means a packaging product that is configured to be difficult for children to open but readily openable by adults to reduce the likelihood that children may access the contents contained therein.
As used herein, “housing” refers to a component of the child-resistant package that slidably receives the insert therein. The housing has a body with at least one open end, through which the insert is slidably received. The body of the housing may be any suitable shape such as, for example, a rectangular prism. In such configurations, the body may have a front wall and a back wall that are larger than the sidewalls thereof.
The housing also has a locking edge defined on an inside surface of its body. As used herein, “locking edge” refers to a feature of the housing used to prevent the insert from being removed once received therein. The locking edge extends from the inside surface of the housing such that the locking tab of the insert can contact it when a user attempts to remove the insert from the housing, thereby stopping the insert from moving any further. As will be discussed below, the locking edge may be formed using a number of configurations.
The housing also has a plurality of release tabs formed in a wall thereof. As used herein, “release tabs” refer to portions of the body of the housing that may be depressed to, in turn, depress the ends of a locking tab of the insert to thereby allow the insert to be removed from the housing (e.g. by pulling the insert out of the housing). The release tabs may be formed by cutting the tabs into the body of the housing, for example. Alternatively, the release tabs may be formed in the wall of the housing by marking them thereon. The release tabs are aligned with the ends of the locking tab of the insert such that depressing the release tabs depresses the ends of the locking tab, as will be described below. The release tabs are also positioned close enough to the locking edge that the locking tab cannot return to its initial position before passing the locking edge when a user attempts to remove the insert from the housing while depressing the release tabs.
As used herein, “insert” refers to a component of the child-resistant package that is configured to contain therein the regulated product and to be slidably received within the housing. The insert has a body with an openable end for accessing the regulated product contained therein when the insert is at least partially removed from the housing. That is, the openable end is not openable when it is positioned within the housing. The body of the insert is generally the same shape as the housing so that it may be readily received therein and so that the locking tab of the insert may be easily aligned with the release tabs of the housing.
In some embodiments, the insert also has a locking tab positioned on an outside surface thereof. As described above, the locking tab has a plurality of ends and is biased such that its ends will abut the locking edge when attempting to pull the insert out of the housing without depressing the release tabs, thus preventing the insert from being removed. The ends of the locking tab are aligned with the release tabs of the housing such that depressing the release tabs also depresses the ends of the locking tab. Because of the bias, after the locking tab has been moved away from the release tabs (e.g. while removing the insert from the housing) or after the release tabs are no longer depressed, it will return to its initial position. Further, as will be discussed below, the locking tab is generally arranged such that is does not prevent the insert from being slid into the housing.
Thus, in operation, depressing the release tabs of the housing depresses the ends of the locking tab such that they do not contact the locking edge when pulling the insert out of the housing, thereby allowing the insert to be removed. The insert may then be slid back into the housing, at which point the locking tab will return to its initial position to render the package child-resistant.
Referring now to
The housing 20 has an open end though which the insert 30 is slidably received. The open end of the housing 20 may have cut-outs 29 formed therein to facilitate the removal of the insert 30 from the housing 20 by exposing a portion of the insert 30 for a user to grip while pulling the insert 30 out of the housing 20. The cut-outs 29 may be formed in the sidewalls of the housing 20, as shown in
As shown in
The release tabs 22 may be shaped in order to facilitate their pressing by the fingers of a user. That is, the release tabs 22 may be dimensioned large enough so that they are easy to depress by adult fingers. For example, in some embodiments, the release tabs 22 may have a width of about 7.5 mm to about 15 mm. In some embodiments, the release tabs 22 have a length of about 5.0 mm to about 10 mm. Further, it is noted that, while the release tabs 22 are a generally rounded shape in the illustrated embodiment, other shapes are possible and are contemplated. In some embodiments, the release tabs 22 may be generally squared.
Further, in the embodiment illustrated in
The housing 20 also comprises a locking edge 24, as shown in
In some embodiments, the inner panel 26 has a recess 28 formed therein that defines an additional locking edge 24a. The additional locking edge 24a may prevent the insert 30 from being completely removable from the housing 20. In more detail, in operation, when the insert 30 is being slid out of the housing 20, the locking tab 32 will return to its initial position as it moves away from the depressed release tabs 22, at which point the locking tab 32 is capable of contacting the additional locking edge 24a. As shown in
It is noted that, while in the illustrated embodiment the recess 28 has a generally rectangular shape, any shape is possible so long as the recess 28 still defines the additional locking edge 24a.
In general, the locking edge 24 and, if present, the locking edge 24a have a height that allows the locking tab 32 to contact them when not depressed by the release tabs 22. In some embodiments, the locking edges 24, 24a may have about a height of about 0.1 mm to about 1 mm. As well, it is noted that, while the illustrated embodiment shows the locking edges 24, 24a extending across a majority of width of the housing 20, such a configuration is not required. Rather, the locking edges 24, 24a may be functional as long as they extend along enough of the width of the housing 20 that they are contactable by each end of the locking tab 32.
Further, as discussed above, in some embodiments, the locking edge 24 is positioned close enough to the release tabs 22 that the locking tab 32 cannot return to its initial position before passing thereover when a user attempts to remove the insert 30 while depressing the release tabs 22. In some embodiments, the locking edge 24 is positioned about 0.1 mm to about 3 mm away from the release tabs 22.
Referring now to
As discussed above, the insert 30 also has the locking tab 32 positioned on an outside surface thereof. The locking tab 32, if not depressed via the release tabs 22, prevents the insert 30 from being slidably removed from the housing 20. In more detail, the locking tab 32 comprises a plurality of ends 34 and is biased such that, when not depressed by the release tabs 22, the plurality of ends 34 will contact the locking edge 24 when attempting to slide the insert 30 out of the housing 20, thereby preventing the insert 30 from being removed from the housing 20. As shown in
The number of ends 34 of the locking tab 32 may correspond to the number of release tabs 22. In more detail, in some embodiments, in use, each release tab 22 depresses an end 34 so that the locking tab 32 may pass below the locking edge 24 when the insert is being slid out of the housing 20. However, in other embodiments, one release tab 22 may be configured to depress more than one end 34 of the locking tab 32. Thus, it follows that the locking tab 32 is positioned on the insert 30 such that each end 34 thereof is aligned with a release tab 22 so that they may be depressed thereby.
In some embodiments, the locking tab 32 is formed of a separate piece of material that is adhered to the insert 30. In another embodiment, the locking tab 32 is formed from the same piece of material as the insert 30 (e.g. cut into the insert 30 in the same manner as the release tabs 22 and the housing 20 described above) and folded upwards towards the top of the insert 30 so that the locking tab 32 is biased to abut the locking edge 24 when the insert 30 is being removed from the housing 20. Such a configuration is used in the embodiment illustrated in
Further, as shown in
In a further embodiment, the insert 30 may define two or more internal compartments 38 for containing multiple regulated products separately therein, as shown in
In some embodiments, each of the housing 20 and the insert 30 may each be independently formed of a paperboard material. In some embodiments, each of the housing 20 and the insert 30 may be coated with a cellophane. Thus, as previously described herein, the housing 20 and the insert 30, and, as a result, the package 10, may be biodegradable.
In another embodiment, the housing 20, the insert 30, or a combination thereof may be reinforced with a reinforcement material such as a foil, a plastic, or the like. In such embodiments, the reinforcement material may be a biodegradable plastic. Suitable biodegradable plastics include polylactic acids (PLAs), polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), complexed starches, and the like.
Further, as previously described herein, the housing 20 and the insert 30 may be formed of a single piece of material such that the resulting package 10 has a simple two-piece construction. In some embodiments, each of the housing 20 and the insert 30 may be formed of a single piece of paperboard material that has been folded to form the components thereof.
It is noted that while
In the present disclosure, all terms referred to in singular form are meant to encompass plural forms of the same. Likewise, all terms referred to in plural form are meant to encompass singular forms of the same. Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure pertains.
As used herein, the term “about” refers to an approximately +/−10% variation from a given value. It is to be understood that such a variation is always included in any given value provided herein, whether or not it is specifically referred to.
It should be understood that the compositions and methods are described in terms of “comprising,” “containing,” or “including” various components or steps, the compositions and methods can also “consist essentially of or “consist of the various components and steps. Moreover, the indefinite articles “a” or “an,” as used in the claims, are defined herein to mean one or more than one of the element that it introduces.
For the sake of brevity, only certain ranges are explicitly disclosed herein. However, ranges from any lower limit may be combined with any upper limit to recite a range not explicitly recited, as well as, ranges from any lower limit may be combined with any other lower limit to recite a range not explicitly recited, in the same way, ranges from any upper limit may be combined with any other upper limit to recite a range not explicitly recited. Additionally, whenever a numerical range with a lower limit and an upper limit is disclosed, any number and any included range falling within the range are specifically disclosed. In particular, every range of values (of the form, “from about a to about b,” or, equivalently, “from approximately a to b,” or, equivalently, “from approximately a-b”) disclosed herein is to be understood to set forth every number and range encompassed within the broader range of values even if not explicitly recited. Thus, every point or individual value may serve as its own lower or upper limit combined with any other point or individual value or any other lower or upper limit, to recite a range not explicitly recited.
Therefore, the present disclosure is well adapted to attain the ends and advantages mentioned as well as those that are inherent therein. The particular embodiments disclosed above are illustrative only, as the present disclosure may be modified and practiced in different but equivalent manners apparent to those skilled in the art having the benefit of the teachings herein. Although individual embodiments are discussed, the disclosure covers all combinations of all those embodiments. Furthermore, no limitations are intended to the details of construction or design herein shown, other than as described in the claims below. Also, the terms in the claims have their plain, ordinary meaning unless otherwise explicitly and clearly defined by the patentee. It is therefore evident that the particular illustrative embodiments disclosed above may be altered or modified and all such variations are considered within the scope and spirit of the present disclosure. If there is any conflict in the usages of a word or term in this specification and one or more patent(s) or other documents that may be incorporated herein by reference, the definitions that are consistent with this specification should be adopted.
Many obvious variations of the embodiments set out herein will suggest themselves to those skilled in the art in light of the present disclosure. Such obvious variations are within the full intended scope of the appended claims.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/137,590, filed Jan. 14, 2021, which is incorporated herein by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63137590 | Jan 2021 | US |
