A sealed container for beverages
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional friction-fit lids for carbonated beverages are not leak-proof or tamper-evident, and PET bottles used for home delivery are expensive, require refrigeration, and generate excessive plastic waste, while existing sealed containers fail to maintain pressure during transport.
Innovation Solution
A sealed paperboard container with a heat-welded paperboard lid and a removable transport cap featuring a micron-sized pressure release aperture, which maintains pressure and prevents leakage, and allows for easy straw access, while being biodegradable and tamper-evident.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional friction-fit lids are used for carbonated beverages, then the cups are simple and inexpensive, but the seal is insufficient to maintain pressure and the lids detach easily during transport
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical friction-fit lid system with a heat-sealed membrane lid system. The membrane lid is heat sealed to the cup rim, creating a secure seal that maintains pressure during transport. This substitution of mechanical fastening with thermal bonding resolves the contradiction by providing reliable sealing without requiring complex mechanical retention structures.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a flexible membrane lid made of heat-sealable material that conformally seals to the cup rim. This thin film structure provides effective pressure containment while maintaining simplicity of the overall container design, resolving the contradiction between seal integrity and structural complexity.
2Reliability
If PET bottles with screw-caps are used for home delivery, then the seal is sufficient to maintain pressure, but they are more expensive, require refrigeration, require more storage space, and generate excessive plastic waste
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material parameter from conventional plastic (PET) to heat-sealable paperboard or biodegradable materials. This parameter change enables the container to maintain pressure reliability through heat sealing while simultaneously reducing environmental impact by using biodegradable materials that eliminate plastic waste issues.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses composite material structures, such as paperboard with heat-sealable coatings or biodegradable polymer layers, to achieve both pressure maintenance capability and environmental compatibility. The composite structure provides the necessary sealing properties while maintaining biodegradability, resolving the contradiction between reliability and environmental harm.
3Reliability
If a sealed container is used for pressurised beverages, then the beverage remains carbonated during transport, but the container must withstand considerable pressure from carbon dioxide evolution
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a flexible membrane lid that can deform elastically under pressure while maintaining the seal integrity. This flexibility allows the container to withstand carbon dioxide pressure during transport without compromising carbonation retention, resolving the contradiction between carbonation retention and pressure resistance requirements.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution effectively maintains the carbonation of beverages during transport, prevents leakage, and reduces environmental impact by using biodegradable materials, while ensuring the beverage remains secure and tamper-proof.
Implementation Method 1
the welding head can weld the paperboard sealing lid to the lip of the cup continuously around the lip
Implementation Method 2
a pressure release aperture providing limited fluid communication through the lid
Data Source
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AI summary
A sealed container (1) for beverages, especially pressurised beverages, comprises a cup (2) with an open top (3) and a lip (4) circumscribing the open top, and a sealing lid (5) heat welded to the lip (4). The paperboard lid comprises a micron-sized pressure release aperture (6) providing pressure regulation within the cup when the beverage is disturbed. The container includes a removable transport cap (13) for sealing engagement with the top of the cup (2) having a top panel (14) and a skirt (16) circumscribing the top panel, in which the top panel includes a first annular sealing head (19) configured to abut the sealing lid (5) when the plastic lid is engaged on the top of the cup. 12. A welding machine (33) for sealing the sealing lid (5) to the lip (4) of the cup (5) is also described.