Child resistant container

A container comprising:

• an outer shell defining an opening;
• a dispensing cartridge defining a storage cavity and an access opening to the storage cavity, the dispensing cartridge slidable within the outer shell between a closed state in which the access opening is closed by the outer shell prohibiting access to the storage cavity and an open state in which the access opening is open such that access to the storage cavity through the opening is permitted;
• a cooperating catch arrangement between the outer shell and the dispensing cartridge having a locked state that fixes the dispensing cartridge in the closed state relative to the outer shell and an unlocked state in which the dispensing cartridge is permitted to slide relative to the outer shell from the closed state to the open state;
• and
• the cooperating catch arrangement transitionable from the locked state to the unlocked state by resiliently reducing a width of the outer shell along a compression axis to resiliently expand a thickness of the outer shell along an expansion axis to disengage cooperating catch arrangement;
• and
• wherein the outer shell has opposed side portions that are formed between opposed edge portions, the width being defined between the opposed edges, each side portion having a curved portion extending outward and away from the other one of the opposed sides;
• a stop arrangement between the outer shell and the dispensing cartridge, the stop arrangement limiting the amount of relative sliding travel between the outer shell and the dispensing cartridge such that the dispensing cartridge is inhibited from being fully removed from the outer shell during normal operation, the stop arrangement includes a channel having an abutment end and an abutment projection positioned within the channel, the abutment projection axially abutting the abutment end at an end of the relative sliding travel inhibiting removal of the dispensing cartridge from the outer shell.

A container comprising:

• an outer shell defining an opening;
• a dispensing cartridge slidably carried within the outer shell between an open position in which access is permitted to a storage region of the container and a closed position in which access is prevented to the storage region by the outer shell;
• a cooperating catch arrangement between the outer shell and the dispensing cartridge having a locked state that fixes the dispensing cartridge relative to the outer shell in the closed position and an unlocked state in which the dispensing cartridge is permitted to slide relative to the outer shell from the closed position to the open position;
• the outer shell being resiliently compressible along a compression axis in such a manner that at least one side portion of the outer shell resiliently flexes along an expansion axis to transition the cooperating catch arrangement from the locked state to the unlocked state;
• and
• wherein an outer surface of the at least one side portion is convex when the outer shell is in a relaxed state, the convex shape directs the flexing of the at least one side portion outward along the expansion axis of the at least one side portion when the outer shell is resiliently compressed along the compression axis;
• and
• a stop arrangement between the outer shell and the dispensing cartridge, the stop arrangement limiting the amount of relative sliding travel between the outer shell and the dispensing cartridge such that the dispensing cartridge is inhibited from being fully removed from the outer shell during normal operation, the stop arrangement includes a channel having an abutment end and an abutment projection positioned within the channel, the abutment projection axially abutting the abutment end at an end of the relative sliding travel inhibiting removal of the dispensing cartridge from the outer shell.

A method of opening a container comprising an outer shell and a dispensing cartridge carried within the outer shell comprising:

• squeezing the outer shell along a compression axis to disengage a catch arrangement between the outer shell and the dispensing cartridge along an expansion axis that is non-parallel with the compression axis,
• wherein:
• the dispensing cartridge defines a storage cavity and an access opening to the storage cavity, the dispensing cartridge slidable within the outer shell between a closed state in which the access opening is closed by the outer shell prohibiting access to the storage cavity and an open state in which the access opening is open such that access to the storage cavity through the opening is permitted;
• the catch arrangement has a locked state that fixes the dispensing cartridge in the closed state relative to the outer shell and an unlocked state in which the dispensing cartridge is permitted to slide relative to the outer shell from the closed state to the open state;
• the catch arrangement includes a pair of cooperating catches including a first catch portion formed as part of the dispensing cartridge and a second catch portion formed as part of the outer shell;
• the catch arrangement is transitionable from the locked state to the unlocked state by resiliently reducing a width of the outer shell along a compression axis to resiliently expand a thickness of the outer shell along an expansion axis to disengage cooperating catch arrangement, the thickness being perpendicular to the width;
• and
• the outer shell has opposed side portions, each opposed side portion having a curved portion that bows outward and away from the other side in a relaxed state, the opposed side portions define the thickness, a maximum thickness is formed between the curved portions of the side portions;
• and
• the second catch portion is located proximate the maximum thickness;
• and
• the outer shell and dispensing cartridge including a stop arrangement between the outer shell and the dispensing cartridge, the stop arrangement limiting the amount of relative sliding travel between the outer shell and the dispensing cartridge such that the dispensing cartridge is inhibited from being fully removed from the outer shell during normal operation, the stop arrangement includes a channel having an abutment end and an abutment projection positioned within the channel, the abutment projection axially abutting the abutment end at an end of the relative sliding travel inhibiting removal of the dispensing cartridge from the outer shell.