Most, if not all, toys on the market must comply with strict regulatory guidelines regarding battery casings in order to prevent children from injuring themselves. However, current casings for button batteries on household items do not have to follow the same guidelines since they are not technically categorized as "toys". Nonetheless, children still interact with household items. Examples of such items include remotes, calculators, and key fobs, and oftentimes their casings are flimsy and not secure from children, meaning the contained button batteries can be easily ingested by children. Ingested button batteries can cause a wide range of problems due to its toxicity and its risk as a choking hazard, electric shock hazard, and more. Many children have lost their lives or been severely injured because they were able to access the dangerous button batteries inside these weak casings. Current toy standards require that toy casings must open with a tool, but standards on common household items are less strictly regulated because they aren't directly targeted towards children, meaning they pose a great risk with less secure casings.

Ms. Nancy Cowles, the director of the Kids in Danger Organization, requested our team to create a proof of concept for a new button-battery casing—to replace those currently found in many household items—that is more secure and incorporates child-resistant features. Our product, the Pop-Out Tray is a button battery tray that would replace current casings in household objects and mimics the mechanism within a SIM-card holder. In order to use the product, the user will insert a small tool, like a paper clip, into a hole. The tool will rotate an inner L-shaped lever using a torque motion that pushes the button battery tray out. After replacing the battery, the user can easily push the tray back in. The tray will be seamlessly hidden as part of the device, preventing children from accessing it and therefore reducing the risk of ingestion. Because this insertion mechanism also requires an outside tool, children are less likely to determine how to open the compartment, and our product meets current toy standards.

This report explains the users, requirements, and specifications for the requested design, followed by a detailed explanation of the design and its rationale. We conclude with recommendations for future testing and development.