Container Cap Retaining Ring with Tab and Connecting Bands
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing caps with hinges for bottles are complex to manufacture and costly due to the need for specialized molds and can cause the closing element to rotate and fall during pouring, leading to unwanted splashes or deviations.
Innovation Solution
A cap design featuring a retaining ring with a tab and connecting bands that remain connected to the closing element, preventing it from being thrown away and allowing stable locking, manufactured using traditional molds with incision lines and cut lines that simplify production.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a hinge is integrated into the cap using specialized molds, then the closing element remains connected to the retaining ring, but the manufacturing complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The cap is divided into two separate components: a standard cap body and a separate hinge assembly. The hinge assembly includes the retaining ring, connecting bands, and tab, which can be manufactured independently using traditional molds. This segmentation allows each component to be produced with simple, standard molding techniques rather than requiring complex integrated molds, while still achieving the functional connection when assembled.
Solution Approach 2:
The hinge assembly components (retaining ring, connecting bands, and tab) are combined through ultrasonic welding to form an integrated unit that attaches to the cap body. This merging process creates the functional connection between the closing element and retaining ring through a separate assembly step, avoiding the need for complex integrated molding while maintaining structural integrity.
2Reliability
If a hinge is integrated into the cap using specialized molds, then the closing element remains connected to the retaining ring, but the production cycle time increases
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the cap into separately manufacturable components (cap body and hinge assembly), each can be produced using fast, traditional injection molding cycles. The separate hinge assembly components are manufactured independently without requiring complex multi-cavity or insert molds that would extend cycle times, enabling rapid production of individual components that are then quickly assembled.
Solution Approach 2:
The hinge assembly components are prepared in advance as separate, pre-manufactured units ready for attachment. The retaining ring, connecting bands, and tab are molded as discrete components with predetermined geometries, allowing them to be quickly ultrasonic welded to the cap body in a single assembly operation rather than requiring complex in-mold assembly processes.
3Ease of operation
If the closing element is allowed to rotate freely on the hinge, then the cap can open and close, but the closing element may rotate and fall during pouring causing splashes
Solution Approach 1:
The tab protruding from the retaining ring acts as a preliminary countermeasure by making contact with the bottle neck or shoulder before the closing element can rotate into a harmful position. This pre-contact creates a mechanical stop that prevents excessive rotation of the closing element during pouring operations, eliminating the need for manual locking while preventing splashes and deviations.
Solution Approach 2:
The tab serves as an intermediary element between the rotating closing element and the stationary bottle neck. It mediates the rotational movement by providing a physical barrier that limits the range of motion, allowing the cap to open and close freely while preventing the closing element from rotating too far and causing harmful splashes during pouring.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 1A~1B
Figure 2
AI summary
Described is a cap (1) for a container (2), a combination of a closing cap for a container and a neck of the container and a relative method for making the cap for the container. The cap comprises a lateral wall extending about an axis and a transversal wall positioned at one end of the lateral wall, a separation line being provided on the lateral wall to define a retaining ring, which is configured to remain anchored to a neck of the container and which extends up to a free edge; a closing element (302) removably engageable with the neck, so as to open or close the container; the separation line extends about an axis and being circumferentially interrupted to leave the retaining ring (301) and the closing element joined; wherein the retaining ring comprises a joining portion (305) at which the retaining ring is joined to the closing element; a first connecting band (306), which extends from a first end zone of the joining portion to the retaining portion (303), and a second connecting band (307), which extends from a second end zone of the joining portion, the second end zone being positioned circumferentially on the opposite side to the first end zone; a tab (308), interposed between the first connecting band (306) and the second connecting band (307) and being protruding, or aligned with respect to it, so that, when the closing element is in an open condition and the connecting bands keep the closing element connected to the retaining ring, the tab can rest on the neck (201). A method is also provided for making the cap in a cutting unit.