Bladder Closure System With Top-Mounted Fill Port
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current hydration system bladder fill ports face issues such as difficulty in filling under a faucet due to side-facing orientation, cumbersome cleaning and drying, and unreliable sealing, particularly with screw-top and roll-top closures.
Innovation Solution
A bladder closure system featuring a clamshell configuration with pivoting rigid frames and a locking mechanism for reliable sealing, easy filling, and enhanced cleaning and drying capabilities, including a dual port configuration with a self-sealing fill port and a flattened conduit for restricted fluid flow.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If screw-top ports are welded to the bladder side, then secure closing is achieved, but filling under faucet becomes difficult due to side-facing orientation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the conventional side-mounted port orientation by positioning the fill port at the top of the bladder. This allows the port to face upward for easy faucet filling while maintaining secure screw-top closing. The top mounting position eliminates the orientation problem that made side-facing ports difficult to fill.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from a side-mounted port (horizontal orientation) to a top-mounted port (vertical orientation). This dimensional change in port positioning enables both reliable sealing through screw-top closure and easy filling under faucet by facing upward, resolving the contradiction between sealing reliability and filling ease.
2Ease of operation
If roll-top or zip-top closures are used, then wide opening for filling is achieved, but sealing reliability decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the advantages of both screw-top and roll-top/zip-top closures. The closure assembly includes a rigid frame with a wide opening similar to roll-top closures, but incorporates a screw-top cap that provides reliable sealing. This combination allows easy filling access through the wide opening while maintaining secure sealing through the threaded closure mechanism.
3Ease of operation
If side-mounted ports are used, then filling access is improved, but cleaning and drying becomes cumbersome due to port size and bladder collapse
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the port mounting location from the side to the top of the bladder. This top-mounted position allows the bladder to remain open and accessible for cleaning and drying without the sides collapsing together, as the rigid closure frame maintains the opening structure. The port faces upward for easy filling access while facilitating straightforward cleaning.
4Ease of operation
If top-mounted ports are used, then filling under faucet is easy, but welding reliability and port bulkiness increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the closure system into separate components: a rigid closure frame that is welded to the bladder, and a removable screw-top cap. This segmentation allows the welding to be concentrated on the rigid frame structure at the top of the bladder, which provides stable welding surfaces, while the cap can be easily attached and removed. The segmented design reduces bulkiness by allowing thin-walled construction in the cap portion.
Data Source
AI summary
Some disclosed bladder closures comprise a first rigid member adapted to be secured to a first side of a bladder opening and a second rigid member adapted to be secured to a second side of the bladder opening opposite from the first side. At least one fastener is included for clamping the first and second rigid members together to seal the bladder opening. The fastener is rotatably mounted in the first rigid member and comprises a latch positioned on an outer side of the first rigid member, a shaft that passes through the first rigid member, and at least one tab that engages with a portion of the second rigid member when the latch is rotated. The latch pivots at least partially around the shaft to engage with a projection of the second rigid member that extends through a hole in the first rigid member to lock the fastener in place.