Hydration Bladder Top-Mounted Closure for Reliable Sealing
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current hydration system bladder fill ports face issues with reliable sealing, ease of filling, and cleaning due to oversized screw-top ports, seam-welded ports, and roll/zip top closures, which can be cumbersome and prone to leakage.
Innovation Solution
The development of bladder assemblies with top-mounted closures featuring rigid members and fasteners that provide secure sealing, easy filling, and facilitate cleaning and drying, including clamshell configurations, dual port designs, and self-sealing fill ports with integrated conduits.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If screw-top ports are made oversized to offer easier filling, then ease of operation is improved, but the port orientation becomes difficult to fill under a faucet and requires bladder removal from pack
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from side-mounted ports to top-mounted ports, changing the spatial dimension of port placement. This allows the port to be filled while the bladder remains in the pack, eliminating the need to remove the bladder and resolving the orientation issue while maintaining ease of filling
2Reliability
If screw-top ports are used to provide secure closing, then reliability is improved, but cleaning and drying becomes troublesome due to port size and bladder collapse
Solution Approach 1:
The closure system is segmented into a closure assembly that can be independently opened, allowing the port to be accessed for cleaning while the rest of the bladder remains sealed. This maintains sealing reliability while enabling easy cleaning and drying of the port area
3Ease of operation
If seam-welded ports are placed at the top of the bladder, then ease of filling is improved, but manufacturing reliability becomes more difficult and ports become bulky with oversized openings
Solution Approach 1:
The port is separated from the bladder seam welding into a distinct closure assembly that attaches to the bladder opening. This eliminates the need for complex seam-welded ports at the top, maintaining ease of filling while avoiding welding reliability issues and bulkiness
4Ease of operation
If roll and zip top closures are used to provide wide opening for filling, then ease of operation is improved, but sealing reliability decreases and extra effort is required to keep them opened during filling
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces roll-top and zip-top mechanical closure systems with a screw-top closure assembly. This provides reliable threading-based sealing while maintaining ease of filling through the wide opening, eliminating the need for extra effort to keep the closure open during filling
Data Source
AI summary
A fluid container can comprise a flexible bladder having an internal region for storing a fluid, a bladder opening at an upper end portion of the bladder for allowing passage of fluid in or out of the internal region, a lower rigid member secured to an outer surface of the bladder at a lower end portion of the bladder, an upper closure secured to the bladder over the bladder opening for selectively closing and opening the bladder opening, and a rigid, removable handle, wherein the handle has an upper end portion that is detachably coupled to the upper closure and a lower end portion that is detachably coupled to the lower rigid member.