Closure Cap Sealing via Axial Support Bonding
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fluid container arrangements for sanitary products face challenges in maintaining a reliable seal, especially when stored upside-down, to prevent unintended contact and ensure immediate readiness for use.
Innovation Solution
A closure cap system with a cap base body and sealing element, where the sealing element is elastically deformed to contact the receiver or applicator body, providing a fluid-sealing mechanism with a lower stiffness than the cap base body, and an axial support that can be removably or permanently connected to the cap base body, using material bonding for enhanced sealing and stability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a receiver-sited sealing is used to seal the fluid container, then the sealing effectiveness is improved, but the complexity of the closure cap structure increases
Solution Approach 1:
An axial support element is introduced as an intermediary component between the closure cap and the sealing element. This support element provides structural reinforcement and enables the sealing element to be effectively compressed against the applicator body without requiring the closure cap itself to be overly complex. The axial support acts as a mediator that distributes and transmits the compressive force uniformly.
Solution Approach 2:
The closure cap system is divided into distinct functional segments: the closure cap base, the axial support element, and the sealing element. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently - the closure cap provides the mounting structure, the axial support provides mechanical reinforcement, and the sealing element provides the actual sealing function, thereby reducing overall system complexity while maintaining effectiveness.
2Reliability
If the closure cap tightly compresses the sealing element against the applicator body, then the fluid-sealing capability is improved, but the elastic deformation requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing element is designed as a composite structure combining materials with different mechanical properties. Typically, this involves a softer, more elastic material for the sealing surface that can undergo significant deformation, combined with a more rigid structural component that maintains shape and provides mechanical strength. This composite approach enables the sealing element to withstand high compressive forces while maintaining adequate elastic deformation capacity.
Solution Approach 2:
The sealing element's material parameters are specifically selected and optimized - using materials with appropriate durometer hardness, elasticity modulus, and compression set resistance. By carefully controlling these material parameters, the sealing element can achieve the required balance between being compressible enough to form a tight seal and maintaining sufficient structural integrity to withstand repeated compression cycles.
3Loss of substance
If a porous absorption element is used to catch escaped fluid, then the protection against fluid loss is improved, but the device complexity and number of components increase
Solution Approach 1:
The absorption function is merged with the existing closure cap structure rather than being a separate detachable component. The porous absorption material is integrated into the closure cap body or the axial support element, combining the sealing, structural, and absorption functions into a unified structure. This reduces the number of separate components while maintaining the ability to catch and contain escaped fluid.
4Stability of the object's composition
If the closure cap is designed with multiple contact points for stable upside-down support, then the stability is improved, but the manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The closure cap is designed with localized structural features at specific contact point locations - such as reinforced ribs, protrusions, or flattened areas - that provide enhanced stability when stored upside-down. These local quality enhancements are concentrated only where needed for support, rather than requiring uniform high precision throughout the entire component. The contact points are positioned to engage with corresponding features on the container, providing stable support through localized geometric matching.
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 cap system ensures a reliable, fluid-tight seal in the closed condition, maintaining the applicator body's readiness for use and preventing fluid leakage, even when the container is stored upside-down, through the combination of elastic deformation and material bonding for improved sealing characteristics.
Implementation Method 1
the sealing element, which ... in the closed condition of the fluid container arrangement, contacts the receiver and/or the applicator body under elastic forming or, respectively, deformation, for reducing a fluid gap between said parts
Implementation Method 2
the sealing element and the support, are, in case of a multipart support at least a part of the support, connected to each other by material bond
Data Source
AI summary
Closure cap (1) for a fluid container (30), which has a receiver (31), at which an applicator body (32) is movably supported, wherein the closure cap has a sealing element for contacting the receiver and/or the applicator body and has a cap base body (10) with an axial support (20, 20′), and wherein the sealing element and at least a part of the support are connected to each other by material bond.