Angled Bung Pump Tube for Complete Barrel Emptying

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing systems face difficulties in completely emptying containers, particularly barrels, due to residual quantities remaining at the bottom, which requires tilting and handling heavy containers with attached pump units, making the process cumbersome and prone to leakage.

Innovation Solution

A device with a bung cap and pump tube design that allows for a container to be tilted permanently, featuring a cylindrical or polygonal outer contour with an angled symmetry axis, and a union nut that secures the pump pipe against the container edge, ensuring stable positioning and vertical operation, along with optional features like a vent valve and sealant to prevent leakage.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Quantity of substance

If the container is tilted to remove residual contents, then complete emptying is achieved, but handling difficulty and leakage risk increase due to combined weight of container and pump unit

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveresidual contentsVSAvoidhandling difficulty
Core Design Contradiction:
Quantity of substanceVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The device separates the pump unit from the container body, allowing the pump to be independently positioned and secured at the container's edge. This segmentation enables the pump to be handled separately from the heavy container, reducing handling difficulty while maintaining the ability to extract residual contents through the tilted container configuration.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The bung cap with its angled through-hole acts as an intermediary component that connects the pump pipe to the container. It enables the pump pipe to be secured at a specific angle that allows vertical operation while the container is tilted, thus mediating between the need for complete emptying and ease of pump handling.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Quantity of substance

If the pump pipe is positioned to reach container edge for residual extraction, then complete emptying is enabled, but pump stability and positioning accuracy deteriorate

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveresidual contentsVSAvoidpump positioning stability
Core Design Contradiction:
Quantity of substanceVSStability of the object's composition

Solution Approach 1:

The bung cap is pre-configured with a through-hole at a specific angle relative to its outer contour axis. This preliminary angular configuration ensures that when the pump pipe is inserted through the bung cap, it is automatically positioned at the correct angle to reach the container edge while maintaining stable insertion, thus enabling complete emptying without compromising positioning stability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The angled through-hole in the bung cap creates an asymmetric configuration that allows the pump pipe to be positioned at a specific angle. This asymmetric design enables the pump to reach the container edge for residual extraction while maintaining stable and accurate positioning, as the angled hole provides a defined insertion path rather than a symmetric vertical alignment.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #4Asymmetry

3Object-affected harmful factors

If the bung cap is secured in the bung hole during tilting, then leakage prevention is achieved, but connection reliability may be compromised by tilting forces

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveleakage preventionVSAvoidconnection reliability
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-affected harmful factorsVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The sealing system uses a composite approach combining a gasket material with the bung cap structure. The gasket provides flexible sealing that can accommodate tilting forces, while the rigid bung cap maintains the structural connection. This composite sealing approach prevents leakage during tilting while maintaining connection reliability under the applied forces.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #40Composite materials

Solution Approach 2:

The bung cap design allows for angular parameter variation in the through-hole orientation. By optimizing the angle of the through-hole relative to the bung cap outer contour, the design accommodates the forces generated during tilting, maintaining both leakage prevention and connection reliability under the changed operational parameters.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Data Source

PatentEP4647394A1Device with a pump tube and system comprising such a pump tube and a support foot
Publication Date: 2025.11.12 LUTZ PUMPEN GMBH & CO KG
  • EP4647394A1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP4647394A1 patent drawingFigure 3~4
  • EP4647394A1 patent drawingFigure 5~6

AI summary

Known pump tubes for containers, especially barrels, are generally designed to stand upright within the container, allowing the liquid to be pumped until it is completely empty. Often, the containers are then tilted manually to remove the remaining liquid, requiring the bung to be loosened and the pump to be held by hand. The invention therefore proposes to position the container, particularly a barrel, at an angle from the outset and to use a bung that allows the pump tube to be tilted within the container. This simplifies the handling of containers that are still partially full and often heavy.