Container Closure Cam Mechanism Reduces Opening Torque
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing closures for pourable food containers require excessive user effort due to high friction and force needed to detach the cover portion from the neck, making the first opening cumbersome and inefficient.
Innovation Solution
A closure design featuring a cam arrangement between the cap and pouring spout, with cam elements and opening elements that enhance the translational component of the cap's movement, allowing a sudden increase in tension to facilitate the detachment of the cover portion along a weakening line, reducing the required opening torque.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If tab means or hook means are used to engage the protruding rim and slide along it during cap rotation, then the cover portion can be detached from the neck, but high friction occurs between the tab/hook means and the protruding rim requiring excessive user effort
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transforms the static sliding interaction into a dynamic cam-based mechanism. The cam profile on the protruding rim and corresponding cam element on the tab means create a dynamic interaction where the geometry of the cam surfaces converts rotational motion into controlled separation force, reducing the effort needed compared to simple sliding friction.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention adds a radial dimension to the opening mechanism by using a protruding rim that extends radially outward from the neck axis. The tab means engages this radial feature and uses the cam action to leverage the radial geometry, converting the opening force application from a purely axial/sliding action to a multi-dimensional cam-based separation that reduces required force.
2Ease of operation
If the thread pitch is increased to reduce opening torque, then easier opening is achieved, but the structural integrity and sealing capability of the closure is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces cam elements and opening promoting means as intermediary mechanisms between the user's rotational input and the cover portion detachment. These intermediaries amplify the opening force through cam geometry and concentrate it at specific points on the weakening line, allowing standard thread pitch to be used while still achieving easy opening without compromising closure integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the physical state of the neck material by incorporating a weakening line with reduced material thickness or altered material properties. This localized parameter change allows the cover portion to detach easily along the predetermined line while the rest of the closure structure maintains its full strength and integrity for sealing and repeated closing operations.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the opening force is distributed along the entire circumference of the neck, then uniform detachment occurs, but excessive force is required compared to concentrated force application
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by creating a protruding rim with specific cam geometry at localized positions around the neck circumference, rather than using a uniform distribution of opening forces. The cam elements on the tab means engage these localized features, concentrating the opening force at specific zones where the weakening line is most vulnerable, reducing total force required while achieving effective detachment.
Solution Approach 2:
The opening mechanism is segmented into multiple discrete cam elements spaced around the circumference of the neck, each engaging with corresponding features on the tab means. This segmentation allows the opening force to be applied in discrete zones rather than continuously, reducing the total force needed while maintaining controlled and relatively uniform detachment through the coordinated action of multiple segments.
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 closure significantly reduces the effort needed for the first opening of the container by concentrating the opening force at specific zones, making it easier for users to access the contents without increasing the thread pitch, thus enhancing user convenience.
Implementation Method 1
a cam arrangement between the cap and pouring spout, with cam elements and opening elements that enhance the translational component of the cap's movement
Data Source
AI summary
A closure for a container comprises: a pouring spout having a neck defining a pour opening and a cover portion closing one end of the neck; a cap fittable to, and removable from, the pouring spout; a cam for transforming rotation into a stroke having a rotational component and a translational component to couple/detach the cap with/from the pouring spout; a weakening line on the end of the neck; first opening promoting mechanism on the cover portion; and second opening promoting mechanism on the cap to engage the first opening promoting mechanism upon removing the cap from the pouring spout to separate the cover portion from the neck along the weakening line; the first and second opening promoting mechanisms comprise at least one further cam element arranged along an angular portion of the annular periphery of the cover portion to enhance lifting thrust produced by the cap on the cover portion.