CHILD RESISTANT FLEXIBLE WALL

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a nicotine pouch container that is difficult for children to open, a method of open a nicotine pouch container and a method of manufacturing a nicotine pouch container.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a nicotine pouch container that is difficult for children to open, a method of open a nicotine pouch container and a method of manufacturing a nicotine pouch container.

BACKGROUND

Snus or nicotine pouches are generally sold to consumers as packaged pouches stored in a container with a base portion and a releasable lid. These containers are usually cylindrically shaped. Due to the nicotine content of snus or nicotine pouches it is desirable to make it difficult for children to open the containers and get access to the pouches. It is thereby a need for a pouch container which is difficult for children to open. It is further a need to produce nicotine pouch containers to a low cost.

SUMMARY

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved solution that alleviates the mentioned drawbacks with present solutions. In particular, a first object is to provide a nicotine pouch container that is difficult for children to open.

This is solved by the subject matter of claim 1.

It is further an object of the invention to provide a nicotine pouch container that can be produced to a low cost. This is solved by the subject matter of claim 1. It is further an object of the invention to provide a safe use of opening said nicotine pouch container. This is solved by the subject matter of claim 15. It is further an object of the invention to provide a method for manufacturing said nicotine pouch container. This is solved by the subject matter of claim 16.

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a nicotine pouch container. The nicotine pouch container comprises a body and a lid configured to engage the body.

The body comprises a bottom wall and a sidewall defining an interior.

The lid comprises a top wall and a lid side wall, wherein the lid side wall comprises a gripping surface.

The nicotine pouch container further comprises a flexible member being sized and configured to be assembled on the outside of the side wall of the body. The flexible member is configured to flex towards the side wall of the body when an inwardly directed force is applied to the flexible member.

The gripping surface of the lid side wall is blocked by the flexible member in a first state, and revealed in a second state in which the inwardly directed force is applied to the flexible member.

The body, the lid and the flexible member may form a suitable container for storing nicotine pouches. The nicotine pouch container may be adapted in size and shape to have a form factor similar to conventional nicotine pouch containers. The container may have a substantially cylindrical shape. The interior may have a cylindrical shape also. Also other forms of the body and its related parts/portions are possible, such as hexagon, octagon or other polygon forms. Such other forms are not explicitly illustrated in this application.

The nicotine pouch container as described herein is more cost effective to produce than compared to other child safe containers due to that the body, lid and flexible member can be produced as separate parts and then assembled into the functioning container. The nicotine pouch container parts can be produced by e.g. injection moulding at low cost thereby solving the second object of the invention.

The nicotine pouch container may be made from a polymer material. Alternatively, the container may be made from a material comprising a metal such as aluminum, titanium, etc. In a preferred embodiment, the body, the lid and the flexible member are all made from the same material.

According to one embodiment the sidewall extends out of a plane in which the bottom wall extends. The top wall may extend substantially parallel to the bottom wall of the body when assembled and the lid side wall may extend substantially parallel to the side wall of the body when assembled.

According to one embodiment the nicotine pouch container is further configured to be opened by lifting the lid by gripping the gripping surface in said second state of the flexible member.

This may be a way of opening the container that is too difficult to be performed by a child but sufficiently easy to be performed by an adult.

According to one embodiment the body and the flexible member are separate parts. It may be more cost effective to produce the body and the flexible member as separate parts than a solution in which the body and the flexible member together form one part. By that the flexible member and body are separate parts the container may be more costs effectively manufactured since a solution by which the body and flexible member are manufactured as one part may be more expensive to produce.

According to one embodiment the flexible member is configured to engage to the body through a snap-fit assembly. A snap fit assembly may be suitable for the container to provide an effective way to assemble the flexible member to the body. The snap-fit assembly may enable the flexible member to be assembled tight in contact with the body without falling off said body. The snap fit function may hold the flexible member in place relative the body such that when the lid is assembled to the body, the flexible member blocks the gripping surface of the lid.

According to one embodiment the flexible member is configured to return to its first state by release of said force. By returning to its first state the flexible member may again block the gripping member of the lid side wall. A force may thereby, have to be applied to the flexible member again to reveal the gripping surface of the lid side wall and open the container. This implies that the lid must be opened when the force is applied. This may be difficult to do for children.

According to one embodiment the lid sidewall extends from a peripheral edge of said top wall.

This may be a suitable structure for the container to be used for storing nicotine pouches.

According to one embodiment the sidewall of the body extends from a peripheral edge of said bottom wall. This may be a suitable shape of the lid to make it engage to the body and form a container that is convenient to hold. The shape of the body, the lid and the flexible member makes the container to have substantial cylindrical shape when assembled which makes the container easy to hold.

According to one embodiment the container is configured such that the required force to flex the flexible member to said second state is too large for a child but sufficiently small for an adult to apply. Thereby, an adult may be able to open the container whereas a child may be unable to open the container.

In one embodiment, the required force to flex the flexible member to said second state is in the range of 3 Newton to 30 Newton. In a preferred embodiment the required force is between 5 and 25 Newton. In another preferred embodiment the required force is between 10 and 20 Newton.

According to one embodiment the container is made through injection moulding. Injection moulding may be a suitable and cost-efficient way to produce said nicotine pouch container.

According to one embodiment the flexible member has a flexible member bottom wall configured to be placed parallel with and in contact with the bottom wall of the body and in contact with at least one flexible member side wall, said flexible member side wall is configured to flex in relation to the flexible member bottom wall by application of said inwardly directed force. This configuration of the flexible member may enable the flexible member to be assembled to the body and by this an inwardly directed force onto the at least one flexible member side walls reveal the gripping surface when the lid and the flexible member are assembled to the body of the container.

According to one embodiment the flexible member side wall only extends along a fraction of the periphery of the body side wall, preferably no more than ½ of the periphery of the body side wall, more preferably no more than ⅓ of the periphery and even more preferably no more than ¼ of the periphery of the body side wall.

According to one embodiment the flexible member has at least two flexible member side walls configured to be assembled on opposite sides of said body. By applying inwardly directed forces onto said side walls two portions of the gripping surface of the lid side wall may thereby be revealed.

According to one embodiment the flexible member side walls only extends along a fraction of the periphery of the body side wall, preferably no more than ½ of the periphery, more preferably no more than ⅓ of the periphery of the body side wall and even more preferably no more than ¼ of the periphery of the body side wall.

The flexible member side walls only surrounding a fraction of the periphery of the body may make it even more difficult to open the container for a child since the force may have to be applied exactly where the side walls are located. Force may also have to be applied simultaneously to the side walls to open the container.

According to one embodiment the lid has a frame part comprising said lid side wall and a second compartment part that is openable relative the frame part defining a second compartment of said nicotine pouch container.

This may be a suitable structure for a second compartment that is separated from the first compartment. By providing two different compartments, unused nicotine pouches can be stored in one compartment and used nicotine pouches can be stored in a separate compartment. This allows used snus portions to be temporarily stored until they can be discarded in a waste bin. One of the first compartment and the second compartment may be larger than the other. The larger compartment may be intended for storing unused nicotine pouches while the smaller compartment is intended for temporarily storing used nicotine pouches. Alternatively, the first compartment and the second compartment have substantially the same size. In case of cylindrical geometry, the first compartment may have a larger diameter than the second compartment or vice versa. The first compartment may have a height larger than the second compartment as measured from a center of the bottom of each compartment in a vertical direction to the respective lid covering said compartment or vice versa. The height ratio of the height of the first compartment to the height of the second compartment may be about 1.0-1.5, 1.5-2.0, 2.0-2.5, 2.5-3.0, 3.0-3.5, 3.5-4.0, or alternatively about 0.2-0.4, 0.4-0.6, 0.6-0.8, 0.8-1 if the first compartment has a shorter height than the second compartment.

According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided a use of a nicotine pouch container according to the first aspect of the invention. The use comprises the steps of

• • a. applying an inwardly directed force to the flexible member until the gripping surface of the lid is revealed;
  • b. gripping the gripping surface;
  • c. lifting the lid by applying a force onto the gripping surface of the lid.

Said use may be convenient to be performed by an adult but too difficult to be performed by a child.

According to a third aspect of the invention there is provided a method for manufacturing a nicotine pouch container comprising the steps of:

• • manufacturing a body with a bottom wall and a sidewall defining an interior;
  • manufacturing a flexible member being sized and configured to mesh with an outside of the side wall of the body,
  • assembling the flexible member onto outside of the side wall of the body so that the flexible member is configured to flex towards the side wall of the body when an inwardly directed force is applied to the flexible member.

The method may imply efficient manufacturing of said nicotine pouch container. The method may result in a container that is convenient to hold.

According to one embodiment the method further comprises manufacturing a lid comprising a top wall and a lid side wall wherein the lid side wall comprises a gripping surface, wherein the gripping surface of the lid side wall is blocked by the flexible member in a first state, and revealed in a second state in which the inwardly directed force is applied to the flexible member.

The method may result in a container that is convenient to open for an adult but too difficult to open for a child. Ranges for this is described in relation to the device above, which may also be relevant for the method.

The method may be too difficult to be performed by a child but sufficiently easy to be performed by an adult.

The method of manufacturing the nicotine pouch container in two different parts with the flexible member as one part and the body as a second part is a cost-efficient method for manufacturing the nicotine pouch container that is difficult for children to open. By separating the parts in production, the moulds may have a less complex geometry than if they would be produced as a single part. This increases both quality and production speed which improves the cost-efficiency.

According to one embodiment one or more of the manufacturing steps are performed by

• • providing a mould defining a plurality of mould cavities corresponding to the shapes of the body, the lid and/or the flexible member
  • injecting a material into the plurality of mould cavities; once solidified ejecting the body, the lid and/or the flexible member from the mould.

This is a more cost-efficient than providing a mould comprising one mould cavity corresponding to the shape of both the body and the flexible member.

The invention is defined by the appended independent claims, with embodiments being set forth in the appended dependent claims, in the following description and in the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will in the following be described in more detail with reference to the enclosed drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a nicotine pouch container according to a first embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 shows an exploded view of a nicotine pouch container according to the first embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3 shows a partly exploded view of a nicotine pouch container according to the first embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 4 shows an intersection view of a nicotine pouch container according to the first embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 5 shows a perspective view of a nicotine pouch container according to a second and a third embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 6a shows an exploded view of a nicotine pouch container according to the second and third embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 6b shows a close up of the flexible member according to the second embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 7 shows an intersection view of a nicotine pouch container according to the second and third embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 8 shows a perspective view of a nicotine pouch container according to a fourth embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 9 shows an exploded view of a nicotine pouch container according to the fourth embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 10 shows an intersection view of a nicotine pouch container according to the fourth embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 11 shows an intersection view of a nicotine pouch container according to the fourth embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 12 shows a flow chart of use of the nicotine pouch container for opening the lid.

FIG. 13 shows a flow chart of method of production of the nicotine pouch container according to one embodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

The present invention will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which preferred embodiments of the invention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. In the drawings, like numbers refer to like elements.

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a nicotine pouch container 1 according to one embodiment of the invention. The container 1 comprises a body 11 and a lid 12 which is configured to engage the body 11. The nicotine pouch container is in the illustrated embodiment shaped as a cylinder. The nicotine pouch container may have other shapes such as being frustoconical or hexagonal.

A first compartment C1 is defined by the body 11 and the lid 12. The lid 12 has a base part 121 and a second compartment part 122. The lid 12 is circular shaped. The second compartment part 122 and the base part 121 together defines a second compartment C2 of the nicotine pouch container, configured to store used nicotine pouches.

The second compartment C2 may be opened by gripping an opening surface 15 and lifting the second compartment part 122. In FIG. 1 the nicotine pouch container 1 is in a closed state in which both the first compartment and the second compartment are closed. The body is circumferentially surrounded by a flexible member 14 which is arranged tight around the periphery of the side wall 112 of the body 11.

In FIG. 2, an exploded view of the nicotine pouch container 1 is shown. The body 11 comprises a bottom wall 111 and a side wall 112 defining an interior. There is provided a body rim 113 around the sidewall 112. The rim 113 works as a stop surface for the lid from below when the lid 12 is assembled to the body 11. The interior is the first compartment C1 which is configured to store nicotine pouches. In the illustrated embodiment the side wall 112 extends from a peripheral edge of the bottom wall 112. Here the body 11, the flexible member 14, the base part 121 and the second compartment part 122 are shown as separate parts. Both the first compartment defined by the body 11 and the base part 121 and the second compartment C2 defined by the base part 121 and the second compartment part 122 are here open. The second compartment part 122 has a second compartment part rim 1222 which is configured to be in contact with the lid side wall 1211 from inside when the second compartment is closed. The flexible member 14 is here shaped as a cup with open bottom. The flexible member 14 is configured to surround a lower portion of the body 11 when the container 1 is assembled. The inside of the flexible member has a flexible member rim 144 which is configured to snap to the body 11 when the flexible member is assembled to the body 11 from below. The base part 121 is seen having a lid side wall 1211 and a lid bottom wall 1212.

In FIG. 3, a partly exploded view of the nicotine pouch container is shown. Here the flexible member 14 is assembled to the body 11 but the lid 12 is separated from the body 11. The flexible member has here been assembled to the body from below and snaped onto the body. The first compartment C1 is, thereby, open but the second compartment C2 is closed.

In FIG. 4, an intersection view of the nicotine pouch container 1 is shown. Here both the first compartment C1 and the second compartment C2 are closed. The first compartment C1 is limited by the lid bottom wall 1212, the side wall 112 of the body and the bottom wall 111 of the body 11. The second compartment C2 is limited by the top wall 1211, the second compartment part rim 1222 and the lid bottom wall 1212. Here it is apparent that the lid 12 has a gripping surface 1213 that may be used to open the first compartment C1 of the container 1. In the shown illustration an inwardly directed force is applied to the flexible member which reveals said gripping member 1213. This force is a force that is too large to be applied by a child. From this state the first compartment C1 may be opened by lifting said gripping surface 1213. By releasing said force the flexible member 14 flexes back and the container 1 returns to the first state shown in FIG. 1 in which the gripping surface 1213 of the lid 12 is blocked by the flexible member 14.

In FIG. 5, a perspective view of a second embodiment of the invention is shown. Here the flexible member only surrounds a fraction of the circumference of the body 11.

The parts of the container 1 according to the second embodiment of the invention are shown in FIG. 6a. The flexible member is here seen having two side walls 141, 142 which are configured to be pushed inwardly to open the container when the parts are assembled. The side walls 141, 142 are connected by a flexible member bottom wall 143. The body 11 is here seen having two spacings, along the circumference of the body 11 for the side walls 141 and 142 of the flexible member 14 which makes the outer surface of the side wall 112 of the container flush with the outer surface of the flexible member 14 when it is assembled to said body 11.

The flexible member is assembled to the body 11 from below such that the flexible member 14 snaps onto the body 11. The flexible member 14 may have two connection edges 145, 146 along the bottom surface 143 which are configured to hook into corresponding spacings of the body 11 in the snap fit.

The side walls of the flexible members are configured to flex inwardly by application of inwardly directed forces onto said flexible side walls 141, 142. The container is opened by applying said inwardly directed force to flex the side walls 141, 142 of the flexible member and reveal the gripping surfaces 1213 of the lid 12. The lid 12 is thereafter opened by gripping said gripping surfaces 1213 and lifting the lid 12.

As shown in the close-up of FIG. 6b each side wall 141, 142 may have a ridge 144a-144d extending inward towards the body when assembled. In this embodiment, the side walls of the flexible member flexes between the ridges which are held in contact with the housing, when a force is applied inwardly. In a third embodiment which in large is working as the second embodiment, the side walls 141 142 of the flexible member 14 do not have the ridges 144a-144d. In that embodiment, the full length of the side walls is flexed towards the housing when inwardly directed forces is exerted onto said side walls 141, 142. The container 1 is, in this embodiment opened by moving the entire portion of the side walls 141, 142, inwardly and thereafter gripping the gripping surfaces 1213 and lifting the lid 12.

In FIG. 7, an intersection view of the container 1 according to the second and third embodiment of the invention is shown. Here the flexible member 14 is shown in its unflexed state in which an inwardly directed force must be applied to the flexible member in order to reveal the gripping surface 1213 of the lid 12 and open the container 1. Here the force must be applied to any of the side walls 141, 142 of the flexible member 14 in order to open the container 1. Thereby, it does matter where on the periphery of the container the force is applied, which makes it harder for a child to open the container.

In FIG. 8, a perspective view of a nicotine pouch container 1 according to a third embodiment of said invention is shown. Here the flexible member 14 is shaped as a ring.

This shape of the flexible member 14 is more clearly seen in FIG. 9 in which the parts of the container 1 are shown separately. The body 11 is here seen having a groove 114 which is limited by the second body rim 115 for the ring-shaped flexible member 14 to be assembled in said groove 114.

In FIG. 10 and FIG. 11, intersection views of the container 1 according to the third embodiment of the invention are shown.

The flexible member 14 is here assembled to the body from above. The side wall of the flexible member moves along the body side wall until the stop surface of the flexible member snaps onto the body 11.

The groove is adapted for the flexible member to fit outside said groove and enclose the groove so as to create a space in which the flexible member may be pushed into the groove to expose the gripping surface 1213.

The stop surface limits the movement of the flexible member in relation to the body 11 so as the flexible member is confined inside the groove.

In FIG. 11, the flexible member is shown its first unflexed state whereas in FIG. 10 the flexible member is in its second flexed state in which an inwardly directed force is applied to said flexible member 14. When the inwardly directed force is applied to the flexible member 14 the container may be opened by gripping the gripping surface of the lid and lifting the lid.

In FIG. 12, a flow chart is shown over a method to open the nicotine pouch container 1. The first step A of the method is, when the flexible member 14 is in its first state as is shown in FIG. 11, to apply an inwardly directed force to the flexible member 14 until the gripping surface 1213 of the lid 14 is revealed. An upper portion flexible member is thereby pressed inwardly in relation to the lid so that the gripping surface 1213 of the lid 12 is revealed. Once the gripping surface of the lid 12 is revealed, which state is shown in FIG. 10, it is possible to grip it.

The second step B of the method is to grip the gripping surface 1213.

The third step C of the method is to lift the lid 12 by applying a force onto the gripping surface of the lid. Thereby, the lid 12 is separated from the body 11 and the flexible member 14 of the nicotine pouch container 1.

In FIG. 13, a flow chart is shown illustrating the steps of a method to of manufacturing the nicotine pouch container 1 according to any of the embodiments of the nicotine pouch containers above.

The first step S1 is manufacturing a body 11 with a bottom wall 111 and a sidewall 112 defining an interior.

The second step is manufacturing S2 a flexible member 14 being sized and configured to mesh with an outside of the side wall 112 of the body 11. The last step is assembling S3 the flexible member 14 onto outside of the side wall 112 of the body 11 so that the flexible member 14 is configured to flex towards the side wall 112 of the body when an inwardly directed force is applied to the flexible member 14.

As an optional step, which can be performed before or after the other steps it is illustrated a further step of manufacturing S1a a lid 12 comprising a top wall 1221 and a lid side wall 1211 wherein the lid side wall comprises a gripping surface 1213, wherein the gripping surface 1213 of the lid side wall is blocked by the flexible member 14 in a first state, and revealed in a second state in which the inwardly directed force is applied to the flexible member 14.

The manufacturing method may be carried out by providing a mould defining a plurality of mould cavities corresponding to the shapes of the body 11, the lid 12 and the flexible member 14.

Further, the method may include injecting a material into the plurality of mould cavities and, once the material has been solidified, ejecting the body 11, the lid 12 and the flexible member 14 from the mould and subsequently assemble the lid 12 and the flexible member 14 to the body 11.

It is to be understood that any one of the embodiments above may be combined with other embodiments as described herein without departing from the inventive concept. The claims limit the scope of the protection sought.