Applicator With Breakaway Cap For Leakage Prevention

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing applicators face issues such as leakage, contamination, evaporation, cumbersome design, incomplete content dispensing, and sharp edges causing skin irritation or damage, particularly when attempting to apply medicaments to animals.

Innovation Solution

A one-piece applicator design with a separable cap that is articulated, levered, or twisted to expose the contents directly onto a surface, featuring a shroud with protrusions to prevent direct contact with sharp edges and ensure complete dispensing without leakage, manufactured as a single molded element from polymeric materials.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of manufacture

If a cap is permanently fixed to the reservoir body, then the applicator structure is simplified and manufacturing cost is reduced, but the contents cannot be dispensed directly and may leak or evaporate

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemanufacturing costVSAvoidseal integrity

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The cap is designed as a separable component from the reservoir body, allowing the applicator to transition between sealed (cap attached) and dispensing (cap removed) states. This segmentation resolves the contradiction by enabling both secure sealing during storage and direct dispensing during use.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The cap-reservoir connection transitions from a static permanent bond to a dynamic separable connection. The cap can be attached to seal the contents during storage and removed to enable direct dispensing, providing dynamic adaptability that resolves the contradiction between sealing integrity and dispensing capability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

2Ease of operation

If the cap is broken or cut to separate from the reservoir body, then the cap can be removed to allow dispensing, but sharp edges are formed that can damage or irritate the skin

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecap removalVSAvoidskin damage

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The frangible portion is designed to break at a predetermined location to enable cap removal, but the breaking process is controlled to prevent sharp edge formation. The frangible portion's controlled fracture converts the potential harm of sharp edges into a beneficial controlled separation that allows dispensing without skin damage.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #22Blessing in disguise (Convert harm into benefit)

Solution Approach 2:

The frangible portion acts as an intermediary element between the cap and reservoir body. It provides a controlled breaking point that facilitates cap removal while preventing direct contact between sharp break surfaces and the skin, thus mediating between the need for cap removal and the need to avoid skin damage.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Ease of operation

If the cap design allows easy removal, then direct application of contents is enabled, but the contents may be unexpectedly dispensed and contact undesired surfaces

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedirect applicationVSAvoidcontrolled dispensing

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The frangible portion is pre-designed with a predetermined breaking location and geometry that controls how the cap separates from the reservoir body. This preliminary design ensures that when the cap is removed, contents are released in a controlled manner rather than unexpectedly dispensing, thus enabling direct application while maintaining controlled dispensing.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

4Productivity

If the reservoir body has angled surfaces or cavities to facilitate dispensing, then contents can flow more easily, but some contents become trapped and cannot be fully dispensed

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedispensing efficiencyVSAvoidcomplete dispensing

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of using angled surfaces that cause contents to trap in cavities, the reservoir body employs substantially parallel side walls that extend along the longitudinal axis. This inverted approach prevents content trapping by eliminating cavities where contents could become lodged, ensuring complete dispensing while maintaining adequate flow through the neutral parallel wall configuration.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

Data Source

PatentUS10179678B2Applicator with breakaway cap

Publication Date: 2019.01.15 THE HARTZ MOUNTAIN CORP

AI summary

An applicator assembly, a method of assembly of the applicator and a method of use of the applicator. The applicator assembly includes a reservoir body, a neck that extends from the reservoir body and includes an exposable opening at a distal end thereof and a shroud that extends from the distal end about the exposable opening and a cap that is integrally formed with and releasably fixed to the distal end of the neck, fully encompassing the opening in the neck and sealing the reservoir body.