Capsule Container Screw Discharge Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing capsule containers face issues with the reliable and simple discharge of capsules one by one, often resulting in excess capsule discharge, contamination, and breakage of low-strength capsules during extraction.
Innovation Solution
A capsule container design featuring an upwardly open container body with a screw shaft and a hollow cylinder, where the screw shaft has a spiral groove and the cylinder has a screw thread, allowing for individual capsule discharge through a controlled rotation mechanism that prevents crushing and contamination.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the open receptacle is tilted to discharge capsules, then capsules can be obtained from the container, but an undesired excess of capsules comes out
Solution Approach 1:
The discharge mechanism is segmented into controlled portions through the use of a discharge gate that can be opened incrementally. The gate divides the capsule discharge path, allowing only one capsule to pass at a time through the controlled opening, preventing excessive discharge while maintaining ease of operation.
Solution Approach 2:
A discharge gate acts as an intermediary element between the receptacle and the external environment. This gate controls the capsule discharge by allowing individual capsules to pass through while blocking multiple capsules, thus regulating the quantity discharged during the operation.
2Ease of operation
If manual extraction of capsules is performed by reaching into the receptacle, then capsules can be removed, but capsules may be contaminated by contact with surfaces outside the container or with the user's fingers
Solution Approach 1:
The discharge gate serves as a hygienic intermediary that separates the user's hand from the capsules. Capsules are discharged through the controlled opening in the gate rather than being touched directly, preventing contamination from fingers and external surfaces while maintaining ease of extraction.
Solution Approach 2:
The capsule discharge function is extracted from direct manual contact and transferred to a mechanical discharge system. The discharge gate and controlled opening eliminate the need for fingers to touch capsules, removing the contamination source while preserving the extraction operation.
3Ease of operation
If capsules are extracted with the fingers, then capsules can be removed from the container, but low-strength cosmetic capsules may be subject to breakage
Solution Approach 1:
The discharge gate acts as a protective intermediary that eliminates direct finger contact with capsules. Capsules are discharged through the controlled opening without being gripped or manipulated by fingers, preventing breakage of low-strength cosmetic capsules while maintaining ease of removal operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The capsule discharge function is extracted from manual finger manipulation and transferred to a mechanical discharge system. This extraction eliminates the mechanical stress and friction that cause breakage in low-strength capsules while preserving the ability to remove capsules from the container.
4Quantity of substance
If existing expedients are used to prevent excess capsule discharge, then capsule discharge control is improved, but the manipulation becomes inconveniently complex
Solution Approach 1:
The discharge gate is designed with a simple segmented structure that provides controlled capsule discharge without complex manipulation. The gate's geometry and positioning allow for straightforward operation, maintaining simplicity while achieving precise control over the number of capsules discharged.
Solution Approach 2:
The discharge gate serves as a simple intermediary mechanism that controls capsule discharge quantity without requiring complex manipulation. Its straightforward design and integration into the container structure enable easy operation while preventing excess capsule discharge.
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
Enables reliable, one-by-one discharge of capsules without exerting crushing pressure, reducing contamination and breakage, and simplifying the extraction process.
Implementation Method 1
an upright screw shaft disposed within and fixedly secured to the receptacle portion and having a circumferential spiral groove; and a hollow cylinder coupled to the cap for rotation therewith, extending downwardly from the cap through the receptacle portion in surrounding concentric relation to the screw shaft, the cylinder having an inner surface bearing a screw thread facing the spiral groove
Implementation Method 2
the thread and the groove are coaxial and are mutually dimensioned and configured to receive between them an individual capsule admitted into the cylinder through the entry port and, upon rotation of the cap in a particular direction relative to the container body, to cause admitted capsules to be raised one by one from the entry port to the discharge port
Data Source
AI summary
A container for storing capsules and discharging them individually, including an upwardly open capsule-holding receptacle, a cap rotatably mounted on the receptacle, an upright screw shaft with an external spiral groove fixedly mounted in the receptacle, and a hollow cylinder concentrically surrounding the screw shaft within the receptacle and coupled to the cap for rotation therewith. A thread on the inner surface of the cylinder faces and cooperates with the spiral groove to receive capsules admitted from the receptacle through an entry port in the cylinder and, as the cap is rotated, to raise the admitted capsules one by one to a central discharge port in the cap.