The present invention relates generally to a lockable case for storing and dispensing articles. More specifically, the present invention is directed to a package including a locking mechanism, a releasing mechanism, and a compartmentalized sliding tray that holds articles and/or primary containers that hold articles.
Child-resistant or lockable containers, wherein multiple movements are required to open the container, have many uses. One use for a lockable container is to inhibit access to articles such as medicine and medicaments in the form of pills and tablets, which if consumed by an unintended person could be fatal. For example, locking caps on medicine bottles are well known. The typical locking cap mechanism requires a coordinated alignment and tipping, or axial pressure, or inward radial squeezing while turning the cap, to remove it from the bottle and in order to access the articles therein.
By way of another example, articles may be packaged in a primary container and the primary containers grouped and packaged in a secondary container, such as a paperboard box. Examples of primary containers include chips, satchels, pouches, pillows, vials, blister packs, and the like. When a typical paperboard box holding one or more primary containers is opened, all of the articles are immediately available. Children who can open such secondary containers now may have access to a dangerous quantity of articles not intended for their consumption.
Against the present state of the art, the Applicant seeks to create a need and market for containers that can store and orderly dispense articles and/or primary containers held in compartments. In addition, the Applicant seeks to create a need and market for containers with one or more compartments located on a sliding element, such as a tray. The Applicant also seeks to create a need and market for a container having a slidable, compartmentalized tray with child-resistant features that require coordinated motions to unlock. Further, the Applicant seeks to create a need and market for a child-resistant secondary package having a slidable, compartmentalized tray, which is inexpensive to manufacture and re-useable.
As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein. It must be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention that may be embodied in various and alternative forms, and combinations thereof. As used herein, the word “exemplary” is used expansively to refer to embodiments that serve as an illustration, specimen, model or pattern. The figures are not necessarily to scale and some features may be exaggerated or minimized to show details of particular components. In other instances, well-known components, systems, materials or methods have not been described in detail in order to avoid obscuring the present invention. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present invention.
It is contemplated that the present invention is not limited to the pharmaceutical and personal healthcare related articles referenced with the illustrated embodiment, but is applicable to any small, delicate, sensitive, or portable article. Examples of such articles include all manner of consumable products such as candy, food, vitamins, tobacco, and the like; all manner of personal care products such as contact lens, birth control devices, smoking cessation patches, hearing aid batteries, and the like; and any item that can fit within a portable container. Further, the present invention is not limited to the slidable tray with compartments referenced with the illustrated embodiments, but is applicable to any slidable element, card, rack, support, holder, shelf, drawer, vessel, and the like to which an article of any sort may be held, stored, attached, secured or otherwise associated with the article.
Referring now to the drawings, wherein like numerals represent like features throughout, there is illustrated an embodiment of the present invention. Turning first, momentarily, to
Turning now to
The base 16 further includes elements that form an internal locking mechanism: a plurality of locking posts 28a, 28b, each with a respective engaging edge 30, are located proximate to the release button 20. In alternative embodiments one locking post is provided, in other embodiments additional locking posts 28x are provided. The sleeve base 16 further includes guide rails 32. Associated with the sleeve base 16 and top 18 are means for attaching 34, 35, and an optional recess 36, as explained below. The sleeve top 18 further includes stop ribs 38a, 38b and a release button stop 39.
The illustrated sliding element 12 comprises a sliding base 40, a sliding top 42, and an article cover 46 that spans the primary containers 44. Here, for purpose of illustration and not limitation, the primary containers 44 are shown as pouches that hold consumable articles such as vitamins, or personal care articles such as contact lens. Alternative or additional primary containers 44 are contemplated, however, including chips, satchels, pouches, pillows, vials, blister packs, and the like.
The exemplary sliding base 40 includes at least one compartment or article bin 48 for storing at least one primary container 44. In alternative embodiments, articles are placed directly in the article bin 48 without regard to a primary container 44. To facilitate removal of the primary container 44 or article from the article bin 48, there is provided a means for biasing. The illustrated means for biasing is a lever 50 defined by a lever surround 52. Inwardly pushing on the lever 50 urges the primary container 44 or article out of the bin 48, as described below. Alternative means for biasing include leaf springs, flexible ribs, wheels, and similar configurations located within or proximate to the article bin 48, which exert a compressive force on the primary containers 44.
The illustrated sliding element 40 further includes a locking tab 54 having a number of locking apertures 56a, 56b configured to releaseably engage with a respective number of locking post 28a, 28b. Here, the locking apertures 56a, 56b are configured to cooperatively engage the sliding base 40 to the sleeve base 16 to prevent movement or lateral translation of the sliding element 12 out of the sleeve 14 until the sliding element 12 is intentionally released by pressing or otherwise properly manipulating the release button 20.
The sliding top 42 comprises a number of access windows 60 corresponding to a respective number of article bins 48, and engaging stops 62a, 62b corresponding to a respective number of stop ribs 38a, 38b, a receiving notch 64, and a relief 66. The illustrated sliding base 40 also includes a relief 66.
A number of gates 70, corresponding to a respective number of access windows 60, are located on the article cover 46. The assembly and operation of the elements listed above to form the lockable package 10, best shown in
An exemplary method for assembling the sleeve 14 is best shown in
In a similar manner, an exemplary method for assembling the sliding element 12 is shown in
As best shown in
To release a locked sliding element 12 from the protective sleeve 14, the release button 20 is pressed inwardly, to lift the locking tab 54, until the locking apertures 56a, 56b are lifted over the locking posts 28a, 28b. Simultaneously, the opposite or free end of the sliding element 12 is grasped at the paired relief 66 and pulled to reveal at least an article bin 48. The illustrated sliding element 12 can continue to be extracted from the sleeve 14, but will be stopped from being fully extracted when the engaging stops 62a, 62b abut the respective stop ribs 38a, 38b.
The release button stop 39 prevents the release button 20 from being pushed too far inwardly and perhaps damaged. The height and position of the release button stop 39 can also influence the ease or difficulty of manipulating the release button 20 and the engagement of the locking apertures 56a, 56b with the locking posts 28a, 28b. In addition, the respective locations of the engaging stops 62a, 62b and stop ribs 38a, 38b are a design choice.
As best shown in
Alternative embodiments include alternative gates 70. For example, if lesser child-resistance is desired of a particular package 10, then the gates 70 can be configured to be easy to breach. If greater child-resistance is desired of a particular package, however, then the gates 70 can be configured to be much more difficult to breach. Further, the function of the article cover 46 can be combined with the function of the sliding top 42. In addition, alternative article covers 46, as well as the package 10 as a whole, can be made of plastic, cardboard, paperboard, foil, combinations thereof, and the like.
For the purposes of teaching and not limitation, various elements are described herein with directional or positional adjectives, such as “top” and “base”, but it is contemplated that the position or location of many elements can be switched or reversed. For example, the release button 20 and locking posts 28a, 28b can be located on the sleeve top 18, the release button stop 39 can be positioned on the sleeve base 16, the locking apertures 56a, 56b can be located on the sliding top 42, and the sliding element 12 will still be releaseably locked within the lockable sleeve 14. Further, the guide rails 32 can be associated with the sleeve top 18, and the stop ribs 38a, 38b can be associated with the sleeve base 16 while the engaging stops can be associated with the sliding base 40.
The law does not require and it is economically prohibitive to illustrate and teach every possible embodiment of the present claims. Hence, the above-described embodiments are merely exemplary illustrations of implementations set forth for a clear understanding of the principles of the invention. Variations, modifications, and combinations may be made to the above-described embodiments without departing from the scope of the claims. All such variations, modifications, and combinations are included herein by the scope of this disclosure and the following claims.
This application is a continuation of International Application No. PCT/US2008/080922, filed Oct. 23, 2008; which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/981,910, filed Oct. 23, 2007, which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
194197 | Villaret | Aug 1877 | A |
1701565 | Hammett | Feb 1929 | A |
1837722 | McAtree | Dec 1931 | A |
2090530 | Guffey et al. | Aug 1937 | A |
2534100 | Baumgartner | Dec 1950 | A |
2769565 | Sottile | Nov 1956 | A |
3563412 | James | Feb 1971 | A |
3696917 | Levi | Oct 1972 | A |
3761009 | Resenberg | Sep 1973 | A |
3782584 | Swenson et al. | Jan 1974 | A |
3895737 | Phillips | Jul 1975 | A |
536923 | Mayled | Mar 1976 | A |
4057145 | Wray et al. | Nov 1977 | A |
4154365 | Lorca | May 1979 | A |
4284204 | Carey, Jr. | Aug 1981 | A |
4364488 | Anjou | Dec 1982 | A |
4437579 | Obland | Mar 1984 | A |
4561544 | Reeve | Dec 1985 | A |
4572376 | Wrennall | Feb 1986 | A |
4611727 | Graff | Sep 1986 | A |
4705165 | Thieke | Nov 1987 | A |
4939860 | Ackeret | Jul 1990 | A |
4967909 | McKibben | Nov 1990 | A |
5080222 | McNary | Jan 1992 | A |
5082137 | Weinstein | Jan 1992 | A |
5108006 | Tieke et al. | Apr 1992 | A |
5174471 | Kozlowski et al. | Dec 1992 | A |
5275291 | Sledge | Jan 1994 | A |
5657901 | Farside | Aug 1997 | A |
5782359 | McAllister et al. | Jul 1998 | A |
5816441 | Farside | Oct 1998 | A |
5897025 | Flewitt et al. | Apr 1999 | A |
5909822 | George et al. | Jun 1999 | A |
5915560 | George et al. | Jun 1999 | A |
6050449 | Kanj | Apr 2000 | A |
6131765 | Barry et al. | Oct 2000 | A |
6155454 | George et al. | Dec 2000 | A |
6267265 | Issa | Jul 2001 | B1 |
6382460 | Gonzalez | May 2002 | B1 |
6460693 | Harrold | Oct 2002 | B1 |
6527138 | Pawlo et al. | Mar 2003 | B2 |
6564967 | Stringfield et al. | May 2003 | B1 |
6641031 | Evans et al. | Nov 2003 | B2 |
6758338 | Lien | Jul 2004 | B2 |
6863175 | Gelardi | Mar 2005 | B2 |
6913149 | Gelardi et al. | Jul 2005 | B2 |
6976576 | Intini | Dec 2005 | B2 |
7159720 | Pearson | Jan 2007 | B2 |
7216776 | Gelardi | May 2007 | B2 |
7287666 | De Laforcade | Oct 2007 | B2 |
7320413 | Fusi | Jan 2008 | B2 |
7353969 | McHutchinson | Apr 2008 | B2 |
7533785 | Smith | May 2009 | B2 |
7565969 | He | Jul 2009 | B2 |
7584843 | Kutsch et al. | Sep 2009 | B2 |
7588149 | Gelardi | Sep 2009 | B2 |
7712630 | He | May 2010 | B2 |
7740132 | Oono et al. | Jun 2010 | B2 |
20020175195 | Cole | Nov 2002 | A1 |
20030106900 | Storz | Jun 2003 | A1 |
20040074917 | McHutchinson | Apr 2004 | A1 |
20040217024 | Arnarp et al. | Nov 2004 | A1 |
20050011773 | Intini | Jan 2005 | A1 |
20050173272 | Lemmons, IV | Aug 2005 | A1 |
20050183981 | Gelardi | Aug 2005 | A1 |
20050205598 | Gelardi | Sep 2005 | A1 |
20060006091 | Maietta | Jan 2006 | A1 |
20060060480 | Budd | Mar 2006 | A1 |
20060118589 | Arnarp et al. | Jun 2006 | A1 |
20060124658 | Coe et al. | Jun 2006 | A1 |
20060243611 | Wu | Nov 2006 | A1 |
20070068960 | Valentine et al. | Mar 2007 | A1 |
20070102318 | Gelardi et al. | May 2007 | A1 |
20070163911 | Gelardi | Jul 2007 | A1 |
20070246382 | He | Oct 2007 | A1 |
20070246383 | He | Oct 2007 | A1 |
20070277299 | Kroon | Dec 2007 | A1 |
20080029110 | Dube et al. | Feb 2008 | A1 |
20080029116 | Robinson et al. | Feb 2008 | A1 |
20080142535 | Adler et al. | Jun 2008 | A1 |
20080290110 | Gelardi et al. | Nov 2008 | A1 |
20090200332 | Intini | Aug 2009 | A1 |
20090223989 | Gelardi | Sep 2009 | A1 |
20090266837 | Gelardi et al. | Oct 2009 | A1 |
20100018882 | St. Charles | Jan 2010 | A1 |
20100018883 | Patel | Jan 2010 | A1 |
20100084424 | Gelardi | Apr 2010 | A1 |
20100133140 | Bailey et al. | Jun 2010 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country |
---|---|---|
180218 | Oct 1935 | CH |
2 042 476 | Sep 1980 | GB |
WO 9948391 | Sep 1999 | WO |
WO 2004035404 | Apr 2004 | WO |
WO 2004037657 | May 2004 | WO |
WO 2005016036 | Feb 2005 | WO |
WO 2005028316 | Mar 2005 | WO |
WO 2005030606 | Apr 2005 | WO |
WO 2005035390 | Apr 2005 | WO |
WO 2007017761 | Feb 2007 | WO |
WO 2007067953 | Jun 2007 | WO |
WO 2007070867 | Jun 2007 | WO |
WO 2008070032 | Jun 2008 | WO |
WO 2009055547 | Apr 2009 | WO |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
20100294692 A1 | Nov 2010 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
60981910 | Oct 2007 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
Parent | PCT/US2008/080922 | Oct 2008 | US |
Child | 12765652 | US |