Rotatable Closure Cover With Position Stops

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing container closures for particulate and powdered materials lack efficient mechanisms for selective dispensing and sealing, often resulting in free rotation of cover portions that can lead to accidental opening or closing, and do not provide adequate tactile or audible feedback for user alignment.

Innovation Solution

A closure system featuring a rotatable cover with multiple dispensing apertures and position stops, which aligns with body dispensing apertures to form a secure seal, providing tactile and audible feedback during positioning, and includes a handle for adjusting dispensing amounts, ensuring easy operation and secure closure.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If a rotatable cover portion is provided on the closure, then selective dispensing control is improved, but the cover may rotate freely causing accidental opening or closing

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveselective dispensing controlVSAvoidaccidental opening or closing

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary action by providing position stops that pre-establish predetermined positions for the cover portion. These stops are configured to engage with the cover at specific rotational positions, preventing free rotation and accidental opening/closing while maintaining ease of selective dispensing control when needed.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Reliability

If position stops are added to prevent free rotation, then reliability is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveprevention of accidental opening or closingVSAvoidstructure with position stops

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies segmentation by dividing the cover portion into segments between the position stops. This allows the cover to be constrained to specific predetermined positions rather than continuous rotation, achieving reliability through discrete positioning while keeping the overall structure relatively simple through modular segmentation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

3Adaptability or versatility

If multiple cover dispensing apertures are provided, then dispensing versatility is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedispensing optionsVSAvoidcover with multiple apertures

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies universality by designing the cover portion with multiple dispensing apertures that can serve different functions. The cover can be rotated to align different apertures with the body dispensing aperture, providing multiple dispensing options (e.g., different flow rates or patterns) from a single component, achieving versatility without requiring multiple separate parts.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentUS9868572B2Closure for a container

Publication Date: 2018.01.16 SILGAN SPECIALTY PACKAGING LLC

AI summary

A closure includes a body having an open bottom formed of a skirt that defines an outer periphery of the body and an end wall defining a body dispensing aperture and a raised body portion providing a closed barrier. The closure also includes a cover coupled to the end wall of the body and having a cover dispensing aperture, the cover being rotatably movable relative to the body between a dispensing position with the cover dispensing aperture substantially aligned with the body dispensing aperture, and a closed position with the cover dispensing aperture substantially aligned with the raised body portion, wherein the cover dispensing aperture includes one or more dividers defining sub-apertures.