Breathable Water-Repellent Lid Structure for Through-Hole Leak Control

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing lids for containers face issues with content leakage through through-holes due to steam or gas pressure, shape recovery of paper-based materials, and lack of cushioning or elasticity, leading to gaps and potential leakage, especially when made of paper-based materials.

Innovation Solution

A lid design featuring a breathable sheet with water repellency, horizontally positioned to face the container's surface, having a surface roughness greater than the lid region, and a gap between the sheet and the lid region, with fibers made of pulp or paper-based materials, treated with a water-repellent treatment, and multiple sheets laminated with notch portions and penetration parts for insertion ports, ensuring the sheet ruptures before detachment from the lid.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If a through-hole is provided in the lid to extract contents, then convenience of operation is improved, but contents may jump out onto the lid through the through-hole when steam or gas is released

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveconvenience of content extractionVSAvoidcontent leakage through through-hole
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSObject-generated harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

A breathable sheet is introduced as an intermediary layer covering the penetration part (through-hole) in the lid. This sheet allows steam and gas to pass through while blocking liquid contents, preventing content leakage while maintaining the functionality of content extraction through the through-hole.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The breathable sheet is made of porous material that permits passage of gases (steam and carbonated drink gas) while blocking liquid contents. The porous structure allows selective permeability based on the physical state of the contents, enabling gas transmission while preventing liquid leakage.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #31Porous materials

2Object-affected harmful factors

If the lid is made of paper-based material to reduce environmental impact, then environmental friendliness is improved, but the lid lacks cushioning or elasticity making dimensional errors more risky

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveenvironmental impactVSAvoidrisk of content leakage due to dimensional errors
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-affected harmful factorsVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The breathable sheet acts as a cushioning layer that compensates for dimensional variations and gaps between the rigid paper-based lid and the container. This preliminary cushioning prevents content leakage by filling voids and absorbing dimensional errors before contents can escape through gaps.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #11Beforehand cushioning (Prior cushioning)

Solution Approach 2:

The lid assembly becomes a composite structure combining the paper-based lid body with the breathable sheet material. This composite construction leverages the environmental benefits of paper while adding the functional properties of the breathable sheet to prevent leakage and compensate for dimensional variations.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #40Composite materials

3Strength

If the lid has a bend and side wall formed by shaping blank material, then structural integrity is improved, but shape recovery may occur causing gaps and content leakage

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvestructural integrity of lidVSAvoidshape stability of bend
Core Design Contradiction:
StrengthVSStability of the object's composition

Solution Approach 1:

The breathable sheet functions as a flexible membrane that can accommodate shape recovery movements of the paper-based lid without creating gaps. Its flexibility allows it to conform to dimensional changes while maintaining the seal, preventing content leakage despite shape instability of the rigid lid components.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #30Flexible shells and thin films

4Object-affected harmful factors

If the breathable sheet is made of paper-based material with water repellency, then environmental friendliness is improved, but water repellency treatment may affect breathability

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveenvironmental impactVSAvoidbreathability of sheet
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-affected harmful factorsVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The water repellency treatment modifies the surface parameters of the paper-based breathable sheet without fundamentally altering its porous structure. By changing surface energy characteristics rather than pore structure, the sheet maintains both water repellency and breathability, allowing gas passage while blocking liquid contents.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

The design effectively suppresses content leakage through the penetration part and gap between the lid and container, maintaining a secure seal even under pressure changes and material deformation.

Implementation Method 1

at least one breathable sheet with water repellency

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectWater repellency: Hydrophobe

Implementation Method 2

breathable sheet

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectBreathability: Porosity

Data Source

PatentEP4696612A1Lid, lid-equipped container, and combination of lid and container
Publication Date: 2026.02.18 HAYASHI HIROYOSHI
  • EP4696612A1 patent drawingFigure 1A~1C
  • EP4696612A1 patent drawingFigure 2A~2C
  • EP4696612A1 patent drawingFigure 3A~3B

AI summary

[Problem] To provide a lid, a container with a lid, and a combination of a lid and a container that can suppress the contents from protruding onto the lid through the through portion when the lid has a through portion and covers the opening of the container. [Solution] The lid has a body formed to be joinable to a container having an opening and an edge forming the outer periphery of the opening, and has at least one water-repellent breathable sheet, wherein the body has a joining region corresponding part corresponding to the region joined to the container along the edge of the container, and a lid region corresponding part formed from the inside of the joining region corresponding part, the lid region corresponding part having a through portion, and at least a part of at least one of the breathable sheets faces at least a part of the surface of the lid region corresponding part that opposes the container.