Breakable Bottle With Application Ball for Precise Dosing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional breakable bottles struggle with controlled delivery of liquid, pasty, or solid products, particularly when the product is fluid or in powder form, as the breakable zone's diameter makes dosing difficult and often limits the bottle to single use due to quick flow and leakage.
Innovation Solution
A breakable bottle design featuring an application ball and housing portion that regulates product delivery, allowing for precise dosing and preventing contamination, with a holding member to secure the ball in place and minimize leakage, and a cap configuration that facilitates easy manufacturing and controlled dispensing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the breakable zone has a large diameter to allow easy breaking, then the bottle is easy to open, but the product flows too quickly and cannot be dosed precisely
Solution Approach 1:
The delivery system is segmented into two functional zones: the breakable zone for easy opening and the housing portion with applicator ball for controlled delivery. This segmentation allows the breaking function and dosing function to be separated, resolving the contradiction between ease of opening and dosing precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The applicator ball acts as an intermediary between the product reservoir and the external environment. It regulates product flow by providing a controlled interface, preventing direct uncontrolled flow from the breakable zone while still allowing precise dosing.
2Ease of operation
If the breakable zone has a large diameter for easy opening, then breaking is easier, but the product leaks out quickly once opened
Solution Approach 1:
The applicator ball serves as a mediator that controls product discharge. It allows the breakable zone to remain large for easy opening while preventing uncontrolled leakage by regulating flow through its interaction with the housing portion.
Solution Approach 2:
The seal between the applicator ball and housing portion creates a flexible barrier that maintains product containment until needed. This flexible sealing mechanism prevents leakage while allowing controlled delivery when the ball is actuated.
3Measurement precision
If the applicator ball protrudes far into the reservoir portion for good product contact, then delivery control is improved, but the ball may escape through the breakable zone
Solution Approach 1:
The housing portion features asymmetric geometry with a larger lower protrusion and smaller upper protrusion, creating a retention cavity that asymmetrically accommodates the applicator ball. This asymmetric design allows the ball to protrude sufficiently for product contact while being retained by the larger lower dimension.
Solution Approach 2:
The pressure that could potentially push the ball out through the breakable zone is converted into a beneficial force by the asymmetric retention cavity, which uses the pressure differential to secure the ball in position while maintaining delivery control.
4Measurement precision
If the clearance between the applicator ball and housing portion is small for precise dosing, then dosing precision is improved, but manufacturing tolerance requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The asymmetric design of the protrusions creates a self-regulating clearance mechanism. The larger lower protrusion provides manufacturing tolerance buffer while the smaller upper protrusion maintains the precise clearance needed for dosing control, reducing overall tolerance requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The design changes the clearance parameter from a fixed uniform dimension to a variable dimension that changes along the longitudinal axis of the bottle. This parameter variation allows larger clearance in some regions for manufacturing tolerance and smaller clearance in critical regions for dosing precision.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
Figure 4~5
AI summary
The bottle (100) comprises: - a reservoir portion (1) intended to contain the product, - a housing portion (2) communicating with the reservoir portion (1), - a product application ball (3), the application ball (3) being housed at least in part in the housing portion (2), being rotationally mobile, the housing portion (2) being configured to cooperate with the application ball (3) to regulate the delivery of the product, - a cap (6) connected by a breakable area (7) to the housing portion (2), the cap (6) being configured to prohibit the delivery of the product before the breakable area (7) is broken.