Ceramic Vessel Lid Seal Structure for Tolerance-Resilient Airtightness
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Solution Overview
Problem
Ceramic and glass dinnerware often have manufacturing tolerances that are too large, leading to inconsistent sealing and stacking issues with existing lid systems, which can compromise the air-tightness and stacking stability.
Innovation Solution
A ceramic or glass vessel-lid combination featuring a plastic lid with integrated latches and a seal structure that accommodates varying tolerances through a compressible seal member and angled locking surfaces, allowing for secure attachment and stacking while maintaining air-tightness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If traditional lid systems are used with ceramic or glass dinnerware, then the vessels can be sealed, but the large manufacturing tolerances lead to inconsistent sealing and stacking issues
Solution Approach 1:
The seal member is designed with compressible material properties that allow it to deform and adapt to varying vessel dimensions within a range of tolerances. The compression mechanism transforms rigid dimensional requirements into a flexible sealing solution that maintains reliability despite manufacturing variations in ceramic or glass vessels
Solution Approach 2:
A separate seal member is introduced as an intermediary component between the lid and the vessel rim. This mediator absorbs the dimensional variations and tolerance issues of the ceramic or glass vessel, providing consistent sealing without requiring high manufacturing precision from the vessel itself
2Reliability
If tight tolerances are enforced on ceramic and glass vessels to improve sealing, then sealing consistency improves, but manufacturing cost and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing system changes from a rigid fit-dependent design to a compression-based design. The seal member's compressibility parameter allows it to compensate for dimensional variations, enabling manufacturers to produce vessels with larger tolerances while maintaining sealing reliability, thus reducing manufacturing complexity and cost
3Force
If a rigid seal structure is used, then the seal provides strong sealing force, but it cannot accommodate tolerance variations in vessel dimensions
Solution Approach 1:
The seal member is constructed from compressible material that acts as a flexible element between the rigid lid and vessel. This flexibility allows the seal to deform and adapt to dimensional variations while still providing adequate sealing force through compression, combining both force and adaptability requirements
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 solution provides a reliable air-tight seal and allows for greater tolerance variations in vessel dimensions, ensuring consistent performance and ease of use, even with materials like stoneware, earthenware, and glass, while enabling secure stacking and cleaning of the lid and vessel.
Implementation Method 1
a compressible seal member and angled locking surfaces, allowing for secure attachment and stacking while maintaining air-tightness
Data Source
AI summary
An exemplary embodiment of a vessel-lid combination includes a ceramic or glass vessel having an open top surrounded by a peripheral edge, a lid fabricated of a plastic material, and a seal structure. The lid is configured to attach to the open top by means of a latch or set of latches integrated with the lid, and the seal structure is configured to provide an air-tight seal between the lid and the peripheral edge of the vessel when the lid is attached to the vessel.