Container Closure With Frangible Membrane and Hinged Cap
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing container closures with aluminum or foil membranes are difficult to remove, often leave remnants, and are prone to flex cracking, which hampers resealing and durability, especially during shipping and use.
Innovation Solution
A closure system featuring a base with an aperture, a membrane attached to the base, a pull tab connected by a frangible portion, and a hinged cap that pivots between open and closed positions, allowing easy membrane removal and secure sealing, with saw teeth on the base to assist in tearing the membrane.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a membrane is used to seal the container opening, then hermetic sealing is achieved, but the membrane is difficult to remove and leaves remnants on the neck
Solution Approach 1:
The membrane is segmented into multiple portions: a first portion remaining on the container neck and a second portion removable with the closure. This segmentation allows the membrane to provide effective sealing while enabling clean removal of the removable portion, preventing unwanted remnants on the neck.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts the removable second portion of the membrane from the container neck after use. By designing the membrane with a removable portion that attaches to the closure, the system enables complete removal of membrane material from the neck, eliminating the problem of residual remnants.
2Reliability
If a membrane is used to seal the container opening, then hermetic sealing is achieved, but the membrane is prone to flex cracking during shipping
Solution Approach 1:
The membrane is divided into a first portion that remains on the container and a second portion that is removable. This segmentation allows the first portion to maintain sealing integrity on the rigid container neck, while the second portion can be removed without subjecting it to repeated flexing during shipping.
Solution Approach 2:
The second portion of the membrane is designed as a disposable component that is removed after initial sealing. This disposable portion can be made from materials optimized for ease of removal rather than long-term durability, while the first portion provides the durable, flexible sealing needed during shipping.
3Ease of operation
If a closure with aperture is used, then pouring control is achieved, but the closure structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The closure structure serves multiple functions: it provides pouring control through the aperture, maintains hermetic sealing via the membrane connection, and enables clean removal of the membrane. By integrating these functions into a single closure assembly, the invention achieves pouring control without proportionally increasing complexity.
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 system enhances ease of opening and resealing, prevents membrane remnants, and improves durability by allowing controlled pouring and secure sealing, reducing glugging and spilling during use.
Implementation Method 1
The pull tab is connected to the base around at least a portion of an inner periphery of the aperture by a frangible portion, and the pull tab is connected to the membrane, so that when a user pulls on the pull tab, the frangible portion breaks to allow removal of the pull tab to open the aperture
Implementation Method 2
the base has a plurality of saw teeth thereon, the saw teeth engaging the membrane to assist in tearing the membrane during removal of the pull tab
Implementation Method 3
the base of the closure is adapted to be connected to the container body by a snap fit connection
Implementation Method 4
the closure further includes a curved lip extending outward from the base around at least a portion of the aperture, and the lip is received in a complementarily shaped groove in the cap to form a pressure fit when the cap is in the closed position
Data Source
AI summary
A closure for a container includes a base having an aperture therethrough, a membrane attached to the bottom of the base and adapted to be attached to the container to seal the opening, a pull tab positioned within the aperture and connected to the base around at least a portion of an inner periphery of the aperture by a frangible portion, and a cap connected to the base by a hinge. The base is adapted to be connected to the container such that the aperture is positioned over the opening. The pull tab is connected to the membrane, so that when a user pulls on the pull tab, the frangible portion breaks to allow removal of the pull tab to open the aperture, and removal of the pull tab causes the portion of the membrane to tear away to unseal the opening of the container. The cap is pivotable about the hinge between an open position and a closed position.