Closure Pourer Helical Movement Drip Prevention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing closures for edible oils and viscous liquids face issues with drip prevention, complexity in manufacturing, ease of breakage, and viscous relaxation phenomena, particularly when handling small quantities or when the container is not inclined vertically.
Innovation Solution
A closure system comprising an outer capsule, attachment element, and pourer with helical connecting means, a flexible pouring lip, and a design that allows greater longitudinal movement of the pourer relative to the capsule, preventing the closure from falling when inverted, and incorporating non-refillable features to prevent external materials from being added.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a bistable bellows system is used to increase the distance between pouring lip and container mouth, then drip prevention is improved, but device complexity increases and manufacturing becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the complex bellows mechanism from the closure system and replaces it with a simple pourer body that integrates the pouring function directly into the cap structure. This eliminates the need for separate bellows components while maintaining drip prevention through the geometric design of the pourer opening and lip positioning.
Solution Approach 2:
The pourer body is merged with the cap structure, combining the sealing function and pouring function into a single integrated component. This consolidation eliminates the need for complex attachment mechanisms between separate bellows and cap components, simplifying both manufacturing and assembly.
2Ease of manufacture
If polymer materials are used for the bellows system, then ease of manufacture is improved, but reliability decreases due to breakage and viscous relaxation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a simple pourer body made from molded polymer material that is designed for single-use or limited-use applications. Rather than attempting to create durable reusable bellows, the design accepts the disposable nature of the closure while ensuring it provides adequate drip prevention during its service life.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the geometric parameters of the pourer opening and lip positioning to achieve drip prevention without relying on the elastic memory properties of bellows materials. By optimizing the angle and position of the pouring lip relative to the opening, the design achieves reliable operation with simple polymer components.
3Reliability
If a complex attachment system is used between cap and pourer body, then reliability of connection is improved, but ease of operation decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The pourer body and cap are merged into a single molded component, eliminating the need for separate attachment mechanisms. This integration ensures reliable connection by default while maintaining ease of operation, as the entire closure can be simply twisted onto or off of the container mouth without manipulating separate moving parts.
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 effectively prevents drips, reduces the risk of breakage, and minimizes viscous relaxation phenomena, ensuring reliable operation and ease of use for both edible oils and other viscous liquids, while maintaining structural integrity and ease of handling.
Implementation Method 1
Outer capsule 2 comprises a part C1a of first connecting means C1 which will allow movements to remove outer capsule 2 from the rest of closure 1 and vice versa. These movements, brought about by first connecting means C1, comprise at least one longitudinal movement D1 and also comprise a rotation, they are helical.
Implementation Method 2
a flexible pouring lip
Implementation Method 3
may undergo viscous relaxation phenomena (creep)
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
This invention relates to a closure (1) provided with an extractable pourer (5) operated by the operations of mouth and closing the outer capsule (2) of the closure (1), in which the pourer (5) is extracted more quickly than the outer capsule (2).