Adjustable Dosing Closure for Viscous Fluids
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing dosing dispensing closures for containers are complex, costly, and lack user-adjustable features, limiting their functionality and utility, especially for viscous liquids, as they often require precise assembly and are not adaptable to varying dosages or fluid viscosities.
Innovation Solution
A dosing dispensing closure with a compression element that provides a high and predictable restoring force, allowing users to adjust the dosage without removing the control cap, featuring a body cap and control cap that can be reconfigured to change the flow orifice size, enabling control over the amount of fluid dispensed without disassembly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If prior art dosing dispensing closures use multiple discrete parts with tight tolerances, then dosing function reliability is improved, but device complexity and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple discrete parts into a single integrated closure body. The closure includes a body cap with integrated piston, spring, and dosing mechanism elements, eliminating the need for separate components that require precise assembly. This integration maintains dosing reliability while reducing manufacturing complexity and cost.
Solution Approach 2:
The closure body serves multiple functions simultaneously: it acts as the container seal, houses the piston mechanism, provides the dosing chamber, and incorporates the spring-loaded return system. This multi-functionality reduces the number of parts needed while maintaining reliable dosing operation.
2Measurement precision
If prior art dosing dispensing closures provide predetermined dosing, then dosing precision is improved, but user control and adaptability are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The closure incorporates a movable piston that can be displaced by the user to adjust the dosing volume. The spring mechanism allows the piston to return to its initial position after displacement, enabling repeatable adjustments. This dynamic adjustment capability provides user control while maintaining precise dosing through the defined flow orifice.
Solution Approach 2:
The closure allows users to change the dosing parameter (volume) by displacing the piston to different positions before actuation. The spring mechanism enables the piston to return to a consistent starting position, ensuring repeatable dosing precision while allowing adaptation to different dosage requirements.
3Adaptability or versatility
If prior art dosing dispensing closures are designed for viscous liquids, then viscosity compatibility is improved, but device complexity increases due to additional sealing and pressure requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The spring mechanism is pre-loaded to automatically return the piston to its initial position after dosing, eliminating the need for complex manual reset mechanisms. This preliminary action ensures consistent starting conditions for each dose while simplifying the overall device structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The closure uses the pressure from compressing viscous liquids themselves to drive the piston forward during dosing, with the spring providing the return force. The system self-regulates based on the fluid properties, adapting to different viscosities without requiring complex adjustment mechanisms.
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
Enables precise and repeatable dispensing of varying doses of viscous fluids, improving user control and reducing complexity and cost compared to existing solutions, while maintaining a liquid-tight seal and operational reliability.
Implementation Method 1
a compression element, such as a spring, between the piston and the cap top
Implementation Method 2
a compression element biasing the piston towards the end wall of the body cap
Implementation Method 3
movement of the piston in response to compression of the container
Data Source
AI summary
The dose dispense closure for a squeezable container. The closure has a body cap 20 with inlet orifices 37 and a transit orifice 34 which allows composition into the body cap. A piston 80 is provided within the body cap 20. When the container is squeezed, the piston 80 is forced down, thereby expelling liquid from a control cap 40 until the piston 80 lands on the end of a duct 60 in the control cap 40 to prevent further dispensing. When the squeezing force is removed, the piston 80 returns to its start position. The piston 80 is biased towards the end wall 33 of the body cap 20 by a compression element 87. The body cap 20 is attached directly to the container such that rotation of the body cap allows adjustment of the dosage without having to remove the body cap.