Closure element that can be inserted into a container opening, and container
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing closure elements for containers used in dispensers require separate piston seals and are not optimally designed for materials that are inert to the dispensed media, leading to inefficiencies in sealing and material usage.
Innovation Solution
Designing the cylinder to be elastically expandable with a piston diameter larger than the cylinder diameter, eliminating the need for a separate piston seal by using radial elastic pressing for sealing, and incorporating a restoring spring for automatic return to the closed position.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a separate piston seal is used in the closure element, then sealing reliability is improved, but device complexity and material compatibility issues worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing function is merged with the cylinder structure itself. The cylinder wall is designed with elastic expandability to provide sealing contact with the piston, eliminating the need for a separate piston seal component. This integration resolves the contradiction by maintaining sealing reliability through the elastic cylinder wall while reducing device complexity by removing the separate seal component.
Solution Approach 2:
The cylinder structure serves its own sealing function through its elastic properties. The expandable cylinder wall automatically provides sealing contact with the piston during operation, making the system self-sealing without requiring additional sealing components. This self-service approach resolves the contradiction between reliability and complexity.
2Adaptability or versatility
If different materials are used for the container and piston seal to ensure chemical inertness, then material compatibility is improved, but device complexity and manufacturing cost worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The cylinder and piston are designed to be made from the same chemically resistant material, such as polyethylene or polypropylene. This homogeneous material approach ensures chemical inertness with the dispensed media while eliminating the need to source and assemble different materials, thereby reducing device complexity and manufacturing steps.
Solution Approach 2:
The sealing function is merged with the cylinder structure, allowing both components to be made from the same chemically resistant material. This eliminates the need for a separate seal material, simplifying material selection and ensuring uniform chemical compatibility across all contact surfaces.
3Ease of manufacture
If the cylinder wall is made thinner to enable elastic expansion for sealing, then ease of manufacture and material usage are improved, but structural strength worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The cylinder wall thickness is optimized to a specific range that enables elastic expansion while maintaining structural integrity. The wall is thin enough to allow radial expansion for sealing contact with the piston but thick enough to prevent buckling or failure under operational loads. This parameter optimization resolves the contradiction between ease of manufacture and structural strength.
Solution Approach 2:
The cylinder is designed as a flexible shell with controlled wall thickness that can elastically expand and contract to provide sealing contact. This flexible shell approach allows thin-walled construction for ease of manufacture while the elastic properties and geometric design maintain sufficient structural strength during operation.
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
This solution allows for efficient sealing without separate sealing components, using chemically resistant materials like polyethylene or polypropylene, and ensures effective dispensing and resealing of media without air contamination.
Implementation Method 1
the cylinder (4) being designed to be elastically expandable at least in a region (6) corresponding to the displacement length of the piston (10)... the sealing is effected directly by the radial elastic pressing of the cylinder wall against the circumference of the piston
Implementation Method 2
it is advantageous to provide a restoring spring in the closure element, which urges the piston into the initial position forming a closed position and is supported in particular on a base of the cylinder
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5~6
AI summary
The invention relates to a closure element (2) that can be inserted into a container opening, which closure element has a cylinder (4) having at least one lateral opening (7) and a piston (10), which can be slid in the cylinder (4) in a sealed manner and which prevents the discharge of a flowable medium from the container (1) in the initial position, wherein the piston diameter is greater than the cylinder diameter, and the cylinder (4) is designed to be elastically expandable at least in one region (6) corresponding to the sliding length of the piston (10).