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Patent Searching and Data


Title:
CHILD RESISTANT CLOSURE
Document Type and Number:
WIPO Patent Application WO/2019/016553
Kind Code:
A1
Abstract:
A pouch having a closure configured to couple a front wall of the pouch to a rear wall of the pouch. The pouch comprises a first part coupled to the front wall and a second part coupled to the rear wall with the first part and second part each comprising a coupling mechanism configured to couple to one another to close the pouch to form an enclosed volume. The first part comprises a first segment having the first part coupled to the front wall either side of the coupling mechanism and a second segment having the first part coupled to the front wall on one side of the coupling mechanism to inhibit opening of the pouch at the second segment.

Inventors:
KRAJEWSKI KRZYSZTOF (NL)
LINK RAINER (DE)
Application Number:
PCT/GB2018/052041
Publication Date:
January 24, 2019
Filing Date:
July 19, 2018
Export Citation:
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Assignee:
RECKITT BENCKISER FINISH BV (NL)
RECKITT BENCKISER BRANDS LTD (GB)
International Classes:
B65D33/25
Domestic Patent References:
WO2016162534A12016-10-13
Foreign References:
US20160122087A12016-05-05
EP1685773A12006-08-02
US20120045151A12012-02-23
Other References:
None
Attorney, Agent or Firm:
LESLIE, Edward et al. (GB)
Download PDF:
Claims:
Claims

1. A pouch having a closure configured to couple a front wall of the pouch to a rear wall of the pouch; the pouch comprises a first part coupled to the front wall and a second part coupled to the rear wall ; the first part and second part each comprise a coupling mechanism configured to couple to one another to close the pouch to form an enclosed volume; and wherein the first part comprises a first segment having the first part coupled to the front wall either side of the coupling mechanism and a second segment having the first part coupled to the front wall on one side of the coupling mechanism to inhibit opening of the pouch at the second segment.

2. The pouch of claim 1 , wherein the second part is coupled to the rear wall either side of the coupling mechanism. 3. The pouch of claim 1 or 2, wherein the coupling mechanism bisects the first part and second part to have a part below the coupling mechanism on the enclosed volume side and a part above the coupling mechanism; and at the first segment the first part is coupled to the front wall below the coupling mechanism and detached at the coupling mechanism and above the coupling mechanism. 4. The pouch of claim 1 , 2 or 3, wherein the pouch further comprises an indication on the pouch showing the user where the first segment and second segments are located to allow the user to identify where to open the pouch.

5. The pouch of any preceding claim, wherein the first segment extends across 25% of the width of the pouch. 6. The pouch of any preceding claim, wherein the first segment extends from one end of the pouch.

7. The pouch of any of claims 1 to 5, wherein the first segment comprises two or more points located across the width of the pouch to provide two or more locations where the user is able to open the pouch. 8. The pouch of any preceding claim, wherein the first part and second part are welded to the front wall and rear wall respectively.

9. The pouch of any preceding claim, wherein the first part is at least partially spot welded to the front wall at the first segment.

10. A method of manufacturing a closure for a pouch having a front wall and a rear wall, the pouch comprises a first part and a second part each comprising a coupling mechanism configured to couple to one another to close the pouch to form an enclosed volume; wherein the method comprises coupling the first part to the front wall either side of the coupling mechanism at a first segment and coupling the first part to the front wall on one side of the coupling mechanism at a second segment.

1 1 . The method of claim 10, wherein the method comprises coupling a second part to a rear wall of the pouch either side of the coupling mechanism and

12. The method of claim 10, wherein first part is coupled to the front wall of the pouch in the second segment at least partially using spot welding.

13. The method of claims 10 to 12, wherein the coupling mechanism bisects the first part and second part to have a part below the coupling mechanism on the enclosed volume side and a part above the coupling mechanism; and wherein the method comprises coupling the first part to the front wall below the coupling mechanism at the first segment whilst the first part above the coupling mechanism remains detached from the front wall at the second segment.

14. The method of any of claims 10 to 13, further comprising coupling first part to the front wall either side of the coupling mechanism at a first segment across 25% of the width of the pouch.

15. The method of any of claims 10 to 14, further comprising coupling first part to the front wall either side of the coupling mechanism at a first segment extending from one end of the pouch. 16. The method of any of claims 10 to 15, further comprising coupling first part to the front wall either side of the coupling mechanism at a first segment at two or more points located across the width of the pouch to provide two or more locations where the user is able to open the pouch.

17. The method of any of claims 10 to 16, wherein the first part and second part are welded to the front wall and rear wall respectively.

18. The method of any of claims 10 to 17, wherein the first part is at least partially spot welded to the front wall at the first segment.

Description:
Child resistant closure

A pouch has become an increasingly popular method of storing items such as detergent and dishwasher tablets. A pouch, such as a Doypack®, offers convenience and ease of use for the consumer whilst storing the items securely and protecting the items from degradation by using a sealing mechanism such as a zip.

Pouches may be used to store items that are harmful if ingested. Various methods have been used to prevent ingestion and increase safety. For example, child resistant closures may be used to allow adults to open the packaging whilst increasing the difficulty for children to open the packaging and access the items stored in the package. The present disclosure provides a mechanism that inhibits children from opening a closure for a pouch.

Aspects of the disclosure are also described in detail, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a pouch having a closure; Figure 2 shows a perspective of the front of the pouch of Figure 1 illustrating the bonding of the front wall of the pouch to the closure.

Figure 3 shows a front view of the pouch of Figure 1 illustrating the bonding of the back wall of the pouch to the closure;

Figure 4 shows a back view of the pouch of Figure 1 illustrating the bonding of the front wall of the pouch to the closure;

Figure 5a and 5b show schematic illustrations of the pouch of Figure 1 with closure of the pouch open; and

Figure 6a and 6b show schematic illustrations of the pouch of Figure 1 with closure of the pouch closed. Figure 1 shows a pouch 1 having a front wall 8, rear wall 10 and base 12. The front wall 8, rear wall 10 and base 12 define a volume 14 within which items 8 can be stored. In the example illustrated in Figure 1 detergent or dishwasher tablets 8 are stored in the pouch 1 . The front wall 8 and rear wall 10 are coupled to one another by closure 2 so that volume 14 is an enclosed volume. As described in more detail below, the closure 2 comprises a first part 4 attached to the front wall 8 of the pouch 1 and a second part 6 attached to the rear wall 10 of the pouch. The first part 4 and second part 6 each comprise a coupling mechanism 5 bisecting each of the first part 4 and second part 6. The closure is configured to close the pouch by l attaching the couple mechanism 5 of the first part 4 to the coupling mechanism 5 of the second part 6.

The pouch 1 is closed to form the enclosed volume by applying a force so that the coupling mechanisms 5 attached to the front wall 8 via the first part 4 and rear wall 10 via the second part 6 come into contact and couple to one another. In this example the coupling mechanism couple to one another with a friction fit. For example, the coupling mechanism 5 attached to the front wall 8 via the first part 4 attached to the coupling mechanism 5 attached to the rear wall 10 via the second part 6 by coupling mechanisms 5 having a friction fit with one another. The coupling mechanism may be a zip lock mechanism. The volume 14 of the pouch 1 is accessed by opening the closure 2. The closure 2 is opened by moving the coupling mechanisms 5 attached to the front wall 8 and rear wall 10 away from one another. In general, this is achieved by moving the front and rear wall of the pouch above the closure away from one another i.e. pulling the front wall and rear wall on the opposite side of the coupling mechanism 5 to the volume 14 away from each other. The closure may be opened by pulling front wall 8 in the opposite direction to the rear wall 10.

Figure 2 shows the child resistant closure (CRC) mechanism. The child resistant closure mechanism requires the pouch to be opened at a specific section of the pouch. Specifying the section of the pouch that is used to open the closure inhibits users, for example children, who are unable to determine where the specific section is located and may therefore struggle to open the pouch. In this example the pouch has a first segment 20 where a user is able to open the pouch and a second segment 22 where the user is inhibited from opening the pouch 1 . The segment of the pouch that can be opened is determined by the coupling of the closure 2 to the front wall 8 and rear wall 10 of the closure. For example, the first segment cannot be opened by moving the front and rear wall of the pouch above the closure away from one another and the second segment can be opened by moving the front and rear wall of the pouch above the closure away from one another.

As illustrated in Figure 2 and in more detail in Figures 3 and 4, the attachment of the first part 4 and second part 6 of the closure 2 to the front wall 8 and rear wall 10 respectively differs in the first segment 20 and second segment 22. Figure 2 shows the first segment 20 having an attached section 18 where the first part 4 and the second part 6 of the closure 2 is attached to the front wall 8 and rear wall 10 respectively and the second segment 22 having a detached section 16 where the front wall 8 is detached from the first part 4 of the closure 2 and an attached section 16 where the front wall 8 is attached to the first part 4 of the closure 2. Figure 3 shows the attachment of the second part 6 of the closure 2 to the rear wall 10 of the pouch 1 . Figure 4 shows the attachment of the first part 4 of the closure 2 to the front wall 8 of the pouch 1 .

As illustrated in Figure 3, the second part 6 comprises the coupling mechanism 5 and attached section 18. The attached section 18 corresponds to the part of the rear wall 10 of the pouch 1 that is attached to the closure 2 on either side of the coupling mechanism 5. In an example the entire second part 6 may be coupled to the rear wall 10 of the pouch 1 . The attachment of the second part 6 to the rear wall 10 means that a force applied to the rear wall 10 of the pouch is transferred via the attached section 18 to the second part 6 and to the coupling mechanism 5. The movement of the rear wall 10 above the coupling mechanism 5 is transferred to the second part 6 and therefore to the coupling mechanism 5 attached to the second part 6.

As illustrated in Figure 4, the first part 4 of the closure 2 comprises a first segment 20 having an attached section 18 and a second segment 22 having both an attached section 18 and a detached section 16. The first segment 20 is similar to the second part 6 described above. The attached section 18 of the first part 4 extends above and below the coupling mechanism so that a force applied to the front wall 8 of the pouch is transferred via the attachment 18 to the first part 4 and to the coupling mechanism 5. The movement of the front wall 8 above the coupling mechanism 5 is transferred to the first part 4 and therefore to the coupling mechanism 5 attached to the first part 4.

The second segment 22 has a detached section 16 that extends from the top of the closure 2 to below the coupling mechanism 5. The detachment of the first part 4 of the closure 2 from the front wall 8 of the pouch 1 at the coupling mechanism 5 and above the coupling mechanism 5 prevents a force applied to the front wall 8 from being transferred to the coupling mechanism 5 because the front wall 8 is movable away from the first part 4 and therefore movable away from the coupling mechanism 5. For example, the front wall can be moved relative to the coupling mechanism 5. This detachment means that a user, for example a child, who tries to open the pouch along the second segment will be unable to open the pouch and unable to access the inner volume 14 of the pouch. The mechanism that prevents the user from opening the pouch in the second segment 22 but allows the pouch to be opened in the first segment 20 is illustrated further in Figures 5a, 5b, 6a and 6b. Figures 5a and 5b show the closure 2 at first segment 20 and the second segment 22 with the pouch open. Figure 6a and 6b show the closure 2 at first segment 20 and the second segment 22 with the coupling mechanism 5 of the first part 4 coupled to the coupling mechanism 5 of the second part 6. In more detail, Figure 5a illustrates the first segment 20 with the closure open. As illustrated, the first segment 20 has the first part 4 of the closure 2 is attached to the front wall 8 of the pouch 1 above and below the coupling mechanism 5 and the second part 6 of the closure 2 is attached to the rear wall 10 of the pouch 1 above and below the coupling mechanism 5. For example, the first part 4 and the second part 6 is completely attached to the front wall 8 and rear wall 10 of the pouch. Figure 5b shows the second segment 22 with the closure open. As illustrated, the second segment 22 has the second part 6 fully attached to the rear wall 10 and the first part 4 partially attached to the front wall 8.

Figure 6a shows the first segment 20 as described in Figure 5a in a closed position and Figure 6b shows the second segment 22 as described in Figure 5b in a closed position. As illustrated in Figure 6a the attachment of the first part 4 and second part 6 to the front wall 8 and rear wall 10 respectively is such that any force applied to the front wall 8 and rear wall 10 is transferred via the first part 4 and second part 6 to the coupling mechanism. This means that when a user applies a force to pull the front wall 8 and rear wall 10 apart the coupling mechanism 5 of the first part 4 decouples from the coupling mechanism 5 of the second part 6 and the pouch 1 opens.

As illustrated in Figure 6b, the pouch 1 cannot be opened by applying a force to pull the front wall 8 and rear wall 10 apart because the coupling mechanism 5 of the first part 4 is movable relative to the front wall 8. Therefore, when a user applies a force to the front wall 8 of the pouch 1 that force is not transferred to the coupling mechanism 5 and this reduces the force transferred from the front wall 8 to the coupling mechanism 5 so that the user is unable to open the pouch at the second segment 22. For example, as a force is applied to the front wall 8 in Figure 6b the front wall 8 will move away from the first part 4 i.e. the force increases the distance between the front wall 8 and the first part 4 whilst the coupling mechanism 5 of the first part 4 remains coupled to the coupling mechanism 5 of the second part 6.

In the examples illustrated above the second segment 22 where the user is inhibited from opening the pouch extends from the end of the pouch. The second segment may also be located away from the end of the pouch, for example in the middle of the pouch or offset from the middle of the pouch, for example at a quarter of the way from one end of the pouch to the other end of the pouch.

In the examples illustrated above the pouch comprises a single second segment 22 where the user is inhibited from opening the pouch. The pouch may comprise more than one second segment 22 where the user is inhibited from opening the pouch, for example two, three or four second segments 22 where the user is inhibited from opening the pouch. In the examples illustrated above the first segment 20 where the user is able to open the pouch extends across 25% of the width of the pouch. In other examples the first segment 20 may extend across to 10% of the width of the pouch, across 15% of the width of the pouch, across 20% of the width of the pouch, across 30% of the width of the pouch, across 5% of the width of the pouch, or across 35% of the width of the pouch.

The second part 6 may be attached to the rear wall 10 and/or the first part 4 may be at least partially attached to the front wall 8 using spot welding. In other examples the first part 4 is attach to the front wall 8 and the second part 6 attached to the rear wall 10 using an adhesive.

In an example the pouch may be modified using a spot welder to bond the first part to the front wall 8 at the first segment 20.

In the examples described, the second section 22 has the second part 6 fully attached to the rear wall 10 and the first part 4 partially attached to the front wall 8. The second segment 22 may have both the first part 4 partially attached to the front wall 8 and the second part 6 partially attached to the rear wall 10 so that both front wall 8 and rear wall have a detached portion that extends below the coupling mechanism 5.

As illustrated above, the pouch comprises an indication on the pouch to show the user which where the first segment 20 is located so the user is able to determine where to open the pouch. The indication on the packaging may be writing and/or an arrow so that a child is unable to identify where the pouch can be opened. Further modifications and developments can be made without departing from the scope of the invention described herein.