Cap Containment Plate for Sealed Bag Bottle Capping
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Solution Overview
Problem
Capping multiple bottles within a sealed plastic bag is challenging due to the lack of a workable frictional interface between the bottle cap and bag surfaces, making it difficult to access and secure caps without contaminating the contents, especially when the number of bottles increases.
Innovation Solution
A cap containment plate with holes that allow cap rotation and a ratchet tool with a spout interface, allowing for the caps to be easily aligned and secured to the bottles using the spout as a handle, facilitating cap placement and tightening within the sealed environment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If bottles are sealed within a plastic bag to retain sterility, then product sterility is maintained, but accessing and securing caps to bottles becomes difficult and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The cap plate is segmented with multiple holes positioned to align with individual bottle caps, allowing each cap to be accessed and secured independently through the plate structure while maintaining the sealed bag environment
Solution Approach 2:
The cap plate serves as an intermediary tool that interfaces with multiple caps simultaneously through its hole pattern, enabling efficient access and manipulation of caps without direct hand contact with each individual cap
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the plastic bag is kept sealed to prevent contamination, then bottle contents remain uncontaminated, but frictional interface between cap and bag surface is insufficient for easy manipulation
Solution Approach 1:
The cap plate acts as a mediator that provides structural support and manipulation points for caps, eliminating the need to rely on friction between caps and the smooth bag surface
Solution Approach 2:
The cap plate introduces a new dimensional structure (the plate itself) that rises above the two-dimensional bag surface, providing a stable platform for cap manipulation without compromising the sealed environment
3Reliability
If multiple bottles are capped individually, then each cap can be secured properly, but the process becomes excessively time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The cap plate segments the capping task into multiple simultaneous operations, with each hole on the plate corresponding to a specific bottle cap, allowing systematic and efficient processing of multiple caps in parallel
Solution Approach 2:
The cap plate combines multiple cap-holding positions into a single unified structure, allowing the operator to work with multiple caps simultaneously rather than handling each cap as a separate, time-consuming task
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
This solution simplifies the capping process by allowing caps to be securely affixed to bottles without direct digital contact, reducing the effort required and preventing contamination, even when dealing with multiple bottles.
Implementation Method 1
providing yet another hole in the plate which provides a frictional interface between spout and plate such that when the spout is firmly displaced into the plate/spout hole, the plate can be moved into place by spout displacement
Implementation Method 2
Each plate hole, within the cap pattern, is sized and shaped to frictionally retain a cap therein as the plate is displaced, but is permissive to cap rotation within the hole
Data Source
AI summary
Method and apparatus are disclosed for capping a plurality of bottles enclosed and sealed in a plastic bag. The method comprises disposing the plurality of bottles in a tray in a predetermined array such that caps, disposed in a plate can be displaced for convenient capping in a single step. Ratchet tools are disclosed for facile threading of caps to bottles.