Attached Spout Closure Seal for Thin-Walled Pouch Caps
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing spout closures for thin-walled packages often lose their caps after the first opening, leading to environmental waste and inconvenience, as they are not designed to keep the cap attached to the guarantee ring post-opening.
Innovation Solution
A closure design featuring a guarantee seal with a breakable segment and bridges of varying resistance, ensuring the cap remains attached to the spout assembly after initial opening, with a visible indication of breach.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the cap is separated from the guarantee ring after the first opening, then the first opening is made apparent, but the cap is lost in the environment
Solution Approach 1:
The guarantee seal is divided into multiple breakable bridges connecting the cap to the guarantee ring. These bridges are designed to break at specific locations during the first opening, allowing the cap to remain attached to the guarantee ring while still enabling product access. The segmentation allows controlled failure at predetermined points while maintaining overall structural integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The breakable bridges are designed to be discarded during the first opening operation, allowing the cap to separate from the guarantee ring in a controlled manner. However, unlike complete separation, the bridges are designed to break and remain attached to the guarantee ring, effectively recovering the cap's attachment function while still enabling opening.
2Object-generated harmful factors
If the cap remains attached to the guarantee ring after the first opening, then the cap is not lost, but the first opening is not clearly indicated
Solution Approach 1:
The guarantee seal incorporates visual indicators that change appearance when the breakable bridges are broken. The bridges are designed with visual characteristics (such as color changes, shape changes, or visible break marks) that clearly indicate when the first opening has occurred, providing tangible feedback to the user while maintaining cap attachment.
3Ease of operation
If multiple breakable bridges are used to join the cap to the guarantee ring, then the cap can be separated during first opening, but the structure becomes complex
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple breakable bridges are merged into a single integrated guarantee seal structure that functions as one cohesive unit. The bridges are arranged in a pattern that allows them to break simultaneously or in sequence during the first opening operation, simplifying the user experience while maintaining the necessary complexity for controlled separation.
Solution Approach 2:
The breakable bridges are designed with specific physical parameters (such as thickness, material properties, or geometric configuration) that allow them to break at controlled locations during the first opening. These parameter changes enable the bridges to fail predictably while maintaining structural integrity during normal use.
Data Source
AI summary
A closure assembly for a package with a thin-walled flexible pouch for containing fruit juices and purees, yoghurt, and energy drinks is provided. The closure assembly has a spout assembly and a closure having a guarantee seal. The guarantee seal has a guarantee ring, a guarantee band, a plurality of breakable bridges, a first attachment portion, and a second attachment portion. In an open configuration, the guarantee band forms a strap that keeps the cap fastened to the guarantee ring and has a length such that, in a use configuration in which the guarantee band is stretched, the second attachment portion is arranged axially below a connection portion of the spout assembly. The guarantee seal has a breakable segment which, in the open configuration, is broken.