Closure Sealing Lip Segmentation for Controlled Opening
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing closure technologies for containers, especially those for carbonated liquids, face issues with weight reduction, seal distortion, and stress cracking due to rigid designs, leading to inefficient operation and potential product loss during opening.
Innovation Solution
A closure design featuring a base with a top deck and adjacent skirt, including an internal thread and a tamper band with frangible bridges, an inner seal extending axially, and an outer seal with a constant or decreasing thickness, allowing controlled deformation and sequence-specific seal breaking, which reduces operational forces and prevents material damage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Shape
If the sealing lip is arranged obliquely inwards with continuously decreasing thickness, then the sealing lip can receive the container opening in a funnel manner, but the sealing lip tends to be distorted during application and is relatively rigid with poor lateral adjustment
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing lip is divided into multiple sections: an inclined upper section for receiving the container opening and a lower section with constant thickness for lateral adjustment. This segmentation allows each section to perform its specific function independently, resolving the contradiction between geometric reception capability and lateral adjustability.
Solution Approach 2:
Different sections of the sealing lip have different thickness characteristics: the upper section has continuously decreasing thickness for optimal opening reception, while the lower section has constant thickness for lateral adjustment capability. This local differentiation resolves the contradiction between shape optimization and operational flexibility.
2Strength
If the sealing lip is pressed radially against the container mouth during screwing-on, then overstretching and damage to the sealing lip material shall be prevented, but extensive operating forces are required and the outer shell tends to break due to stress
Solution Approach 1:
The closure shell is designed with controlled deformability that allows dynamic adaptation during the screwing-on process. The shell deforms elastically to press the sealing lip against the container mouth, then returns to its original shape, reducing the required operating forces and preventing stress cracking while maintaining sealing lip integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The closure shell is pre-designed with specific elastic properties and deformation characteristics that cushion the impact and distribute forces during application. This beforehand cushioning prevents stress concentration that would lead to shell breaking while still providing sufficient radial pressure for sealing.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the closure uses a rigid seal design, then the structural integrity is maintained, but the seal is not very good in adjusting in lateral direction and tends to be distorted during application
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing system is segmented into the closure shell, sealing lip, and container opening interaction zones. This segmentation allows the shell to provide structural integrity while the sealing lip interface provides lateral adjustment capability through controlled deformation and geometric design.
Solution Approach 2:
Different parts of the closure have different mechanical properties: the main shell body maintains rigidity for structural integrity, while the sealing lip region is designed with specific thickness variations and deformation characteristics that enable lateral adjustment and adaptation to container openings.
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 achieves improved functionality during opening by ensuring the tamper evidence breaks before the seal, reducing operational forces, and preventing product loss, while maintaining lightweight construction and effective sealing performance.
Implementation Method 1
The closure (1) comprises a skirt (5) and a tamper band (8) interconnected to each other by at least one frangible element (9) wherein the at least one frangible element (9) is designed to break in a controlled manner in the course of opening of the closure (1) in a sequence that the at least one frangible element (9) breaks before the seal breaks
Data Source
AI summary
The invention is directed to a closure (1) having a base (3) with a top deck (4) and a therewith adjacent skirt (5) extending in an axial direction (z) comprising an internal thread (6). The closure (1) is comprising a sealing arrangement (16) with an inner seal (18) extending in the axial direction (z) from the top deck (4). The inner seal (18) is having an inner annular sealing surface (29) arranged radially inward with respect to an outer seal (17) and pointing in an outward direction. The sealing arrangement further comprises an outer seal (17), which in its cross-section comprises a base section (20) extending in the axial direction (z) from the top deck (4) and an end section (21), which is bend inwardly with respect to the course of the base section (20) in the direction of the inner seal (18) and which terminates in a sealing surface (22) pointing in an inward direction.