Closure Seal Radial Tabs for Tool-Free Detachment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing closure seals for containers are cumbersome to open and can lead to unintentional contamination or damage when attempting to remove the primary seal, often requiring tools and resulting in material remnants on the container edge.
Innovation Solution
A substantially circular closure seal with a primary seal featuring radially extending tabs, where the tab's projection allows for easy gripping and secure detachment, combined with a secondary seal that supports the primary seal during insertion and prevents deformation, facilitating one-piece removal without tools.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the primary seal is made without radially extending tabs, then the seal structure remains simple and circular, but the seal becomes cumbersome to open and requires tools for removal
Solution Approach 1:
The primary seal is segmented by adding radially extending tabs that divide the circular seal into distinguishable sections. These tabs protrude beyond the circular perimeter and can be easily grasped by fingers, enabling manual removal without tools while maintaining the overall circular sealing function.
Solution Approach 2:
The seal structure is extended from a purely two-dimensional circular plane into three dimensions by adding radially protruding tabs. This dimensional extension provides grip surfaces that extend beyond the circular perimeter, enabling easy manual handling and removal while preserving the circular sealing contact area.
2Loss of substance
If the primary seal is removed without proper gripping features, then material remnants remain on the container edge, but adding tabs increases manufacturing complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The tabs segment the primary seal into manageable sections that can be cleanly detached. The tab structure is designed to separate cleanly from the circular sealing surface, allowing the entire primary seal to be removed in one or fewer pieces without leaving remnants on the container rim.
Solution Approach 2:
The tabs are pre-formed as integral parts of the primary seal during manufacturing. This preliminary structuring ensures that when the seal is removed, the tabs provide immediate grip points that guide clean detachment, preventing the seal from tearing or leaving remnants during removal.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the secondary seal does not support the primary seal during insertion, then the primary seal may deform, but proper support increases device complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The secondary seal is designed to nest around and support the primary seal during the insertion process. The secondary seal's inner circumference contacts the outer circumference of the primary seal, providing radial support that prevents deformation while the primary seal is being applied to the container rim.
Solution Approach 2:
The secondary seal acts as an intermediary structure between the application tool and the primary seal. It provides a stable supporting framework that maintains the primary seal's circular shape during insertion, preventing buckling or deformation while adding minimal structural complexity.
4Ease of operation
If the tab projection is too large, then gripping is easier, but the tab may bend during insertion and stick to the rest of the closure seal
Solution Approach 1:
The tab dimensions are optimized within specific parameter ranges: the radial projection extends beyond the circular perimeter by a controlled amount (not too small to grip, not too large to bend), and the tab width and thickness are adjusted to provide sufficient stiffness during insertion while maintaining gripability during removal.
Solution Approach 2:
The tab structure has differentiated local properties: the region near the circular perimeter is designed with sufficient stiffness to resist bending during insertion, while the distal end of the tab provides a larger surface area for easy gripping during removal. This local quality variation optimizes both insertion reliability and operation ease.
Data Source
Figure 1~3
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AI summary
The invention relates to a substantially circular closure seal for closing a container, which closure seal has a secondary seal (2) and, under it, a primary seal (3) with a circular surface (F) with a radius (R) for adhesive bonding onto the top edge of a container opening, wherein the primary seal (3) and the secondary seal (2) are connected releasably to one another by a release layer (7), wherein the secondary seal (2) is adapted to the shape of the primary seal (3), wherein the primary seal (3) has at least one tab (8) which extends in the radial direction. In order to provide a closure seal which can be detached easily and in one piece from a container opening and which, moreover, can be produced inexpensively, it is proposed according to the invention that the primary seal (3) has a plurality of tabs (8) which are arranged along the closure-seal circumference at identical angular spacings, protrude beyond the edge of the circular surface, have the shape of a ring section which runs around the centre point of the closure seal (1) directly outside the circular surface (F), and the radial projection of which beyond the circular surface (F) in the radial direction is between 1 mm and 5 mm, preferably between 2 and 4 mm.