IP Verse

Child Resistant Container

Patent No. US11492182 (titled "Child Resistant Container") was filed by Ecosafe Packaging Llc on Dec 23, 2019.

What is this patent about?

’182 is related to the field of containers, specifically child-resistant metal containers. Current child-resistant packaging often uses plastics that are difficult to recycle, may leach chemicals, and may not preserve contents well. Metal containers offer advantages like recyclability, better preservation, and suitability for certain substances (e.g., flammable solvents) but need improved child-resistant designs.

The underlying idea behind ’182 is to create a child-resistant container from recyclable metal that can be repeatedly opened and closed while preserving the contents. This is achieved by using a two-cap system (inner and outer) with a mechanism that requires a specific sequence of actions (pressing and rotating) to open, making it difficult for children but easy for adults.

The claims of ’182 focus on a cap assembly for a child-resistant container, comprising a metal inner cap and a metal outer cap, with the inner cap partially inside the outer cap. A plate is positioned between the caps, rotationally and axially fixed to the outer cap. A female coupler (through opening or groove) is on either the inner cap or plate, and a male coupler (extending side) is on the other. The outer cap's top can move between two positions relative to the inner cap, and the couplers engage in the second position to rotationally lock the caps.

In practice, to open the container, a user must press down on the outer cap, causing the male and female couplers to engage. This locks the inner and outer caps together, allowing the user to then rotate the outer cap, which in turn rotates the inner cap and unscrews it from the container body. When the outer cap is not pressed down, it can rotate freely without affecting the inner cap, preventing simple twisting from opening the container.

This design differentiates itself from prior art by using a combination of pressing and rotating actions, along with specific coupler geometries, to achieve child resistance. The use of metal allows for recyclability and avoids the chemical leaching issues associated with some plastics. The design also allows for features like seals, desiccants, and oxygen scavengers to further enhance content preservation, addressing limitations of existing child-resistant packaging.

How does this patent fit in bigger picture?

Technical landscape at the time

In the late 2010s when ’182 was filed, child-resistant packaging was at a time when designs commonly relied on mechanical interlocks and specific opening sequences to prevent access by children. At this time, containers were typically implemented using plastic or composite materials, and metal containers required specialized manufacturing processes and designs to achieve child resistance while maintaining recyclability and cost-effectiveness.

Novelty and Inventive Step

The claims were rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over multiple combinations of prior art references. Specifically, claims were rejected over Lewis in view of Gould, Elfline in view of Gould, and Filmore in view of Gould. The rejections were based on obviousness, with the examiner asserting that combining the teachings of the references would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art. The prosecution record does NOT describe the technical reasoning or specific claim changes that led to allowance.

Claims

This patent contains 20 claims, with independent claims 1 and 20. The independent claims are directed to a cap assembly for a child resistant container and a child resistant container incorporating the cap assembly. The dependent claims elaborate on specific features and configurations of the cap assembly, further defining the elements and relationships described in the independent claims.

Key Claim Terms New

Definitions of key terms used in the patent claims.

Term (Source)Support for SpecificationInterpretation
Female coupler
(Claim 1, Claim 20)		“One or more females couplers can be coupled to one of the inner cap and the plate and one or more male couplers can be coupled to the other of the inner cap and the plate. One or more female and male couplers can be configured to optionally, selectively or otherwise engage one another. One or more female couplers can include at least one of a thru opening, a groove having sides that extend upwardly or downwardly and a combination thereof.”A component coupled to either the inner cap or the plate, comprising at least one of a through opening or a groove having sides that extend upwardly or downwardly. It is configured to optionally engage with a male coupler.
Male coupler
(Claim 1, Claim 20)		“One or more females couplers can be coupled to one of the inner cap and the plate and one or more male couplers can be coupled to the other of the inner cap and the plate. One or more female and male couplers can be configured to optionally, selectively or otherwise engage one another. One or more male couplers can include at least one side that extends upwardly or downwardly for optionally, selectively or otherwise engaging one or more female couplers.”A component coupled to either the inner cap or the plate, comprising at least one side that extends upwardly or downwardly. It is configured to optionally engage with a female coupler.
Plate disposed between the inner cap and the outer cap
(Claim 1, Claim 20)		“A plate can be disposed at least partially between the inner cap and the outer cap, such as longitudinally and/or otherwise. The plate can be rotationally and/or axially fixed relative to the outer cap.”A plate positioned between the inner and outer caps, rotationally and axially fixed relative to the outer cap.
Rotationally fixing the inner and outer caps
(Claim 1, Claim 20)		“One or more female and male couplers can be configured to engage one another when the outer cap or a portion thereof, such as the top of the outer cap, is in one or more positions, such as one or more positions for rotationally fixing the inner and outer caps relative to one another.”The state achieved when the female and male couplers engage with the top of the outer cap in the second position, preventing relative rotation between the inner and outer caps.
Volume of space
(Claim 1, Claim 20)		“In at least one embodiment, at least a portion of a male coupler can be disposed above or beneath the top surface of the top of the inner cap when the male coupler is partially or fully engaged with a female coupler, which can include being higher or lower in elevation (e.g., in a plane that is higher or lower than another plane) and need not include being vertically above or below.”A space at least partially enclosed beneath the bottom surface of the top of the outer cap and above at least one of the plate, the female coupler, the male coupler, and a combination thereof.

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US11492182

ECOSAFE PACKAGING LLC
Application Number
US16726152
Filing Date
Dec 23, 2019
Status
Granted
Expiry Date
Aug 24, 2038
External Links
Slate, USPTO, Google Patents