Closure With Segmented Threads And Composite Abutment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Reduced height of plastic bottle necks complicates closure removal due to decreased surface area for gripping, leading to higher release torque requirements and potential tampering issues with existing tamper evidence features, which can compromise safety and increase manufacturing complexity.
Innovation Solution
A closure design featuring a tamper evidence band with recessed lead-in ramps and a composite abutment surface, reducing material usage and enhancing plastic deformation for tamper evidence, while omitting interruptions in threads to mitigate torque damage and reduce release torque.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Weight of moving object
If the height of the closure side wall is reduced to match the reduced container neck height, then the weight of the closure is reduced, but the surface area available for user gripping is reduced, making removal more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The closure side wall is segmented into multiple grip zones with varying surface areas and friction characteristics. The upper portion has a larger diameter providing a first grip zone, while the lower portion has a smaller diameter providing a second grip zone, allowing users to apply torque effectively despite the overall reduced height.
Solution Approach 2:
Different portions of the side wall are given different local qualities - the upper portion has a larger diameter and different surface texture compared to the lower portion. This creates differentiated grip zones that optimize both the reduced weight requirement and the ease of operation by providing adequate gripping surface area in specific locations.
2Reliability
If sealing features and tamper evidence features are designed to provide high security, then the release torque required increases, but this exacerbates the difficulty of removal in reduced-height closures
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing and tamper evidence features are segmented into multiple engagement points distributed around the closure. This includes multiple seal lobes and distributed tamper evidence elements, which distribute the required release torque across multiple locations rather than concentrating it at a single point, making removal feasible despite security requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The sealing features have varying local qualities with some portions providing stronger sealing and others providing tamper evidence functionality. The tamper evidence band has varying thickness and material properties at different locations, creating zones of different resistance that collectively provide high reliability while allowing controlled removal.
3Loss of substance
If the tamper evidence band is made thinner to reduce material usage, then weight and material cost are reduced, but the band becomes more susceptible to damage and less effective at providing tamper evidence
Solution Approach 1:
The tamper evidence band has non-uniform thickness with varying local qualities - thicker in regions requiring higher strength and tamper resistance, and thinner in regions where material reduction is prioritized. This localized variation allows the band to be more susceptible to damage in controlled ways that provide clear tamper evidence while maintaining overall effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The tamper evidence band utilizes composite material structures combining different material properties in different layers or regions. This allows the band to achieve adequate strength and tamper evidence functionality with reduced overall material usage by strategically placing high-strength materials only where necessary.
4Object-generated harmful factors
If threads are interrupted to form venting passages, then venting functionality is provided, but the structural integrity and torque resistance of the closure is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The threads are segmented into multiple interrupted sections rather than being continuous, with the interruptions forming venting passages. The thread structure is divided into multiple lobes or segments that maintain structural integrity while allowing controlled venting through the gaps between segments.
Solution Approach 2:
The thread structure has varying local qualities with some portions being continuous and strong, and other portions being interrupted to provide venting. The interruptions are strategically located to provide adequate venting functionality while minimizing impact on overall thread strength and torque resistance.
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 design effectively reduces material usage, enhances tamper evidence effectiveness, and lowers the required release torque, improving user safety and manufacturing efficiency by providing a clear visual indication of tampering and withstanding excessive torque without compromising venting functionality.
Implementation Method 1
The lead-in ramp of at least one of the retaining cams has a recess therein
Implementation Method 2
having a lead-in ramp for engaging, in use, the flange of a container neck
Implementation Method 3
a stop for engaging the flange to separate the tamper evidence band from the body when the closure is subsequently removed from the container
Implementation Method 4
Continued unscrewing of the closure beyond this point progressively places the frangible connection under tension and severs the bridges
Implementation Method 5
severs the bridges, thereby separating the tamper evident band from the body of the closure
Implementation Method 6
enhancing plastic deformation for tamper evidence
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
Figure 4~5
AI summary
A closure (1) for sealingly closing a neck opening of a container, the closure (1) comprising a top wall (4) and an annular side wall (5) depending from the top wall (4). The top wall (4) comprising an abutment (6, 65) depending therefrom and including a plurality of projections (65) spaced circumferentially about the top wall (4) which together provide a composite abutment surface (66) for abutting against a top surface (13) of the container neck (11). The side wall (5) comprising threads (50) including two or more turns (51, 52, 53) each having a plurality of interruptions (56) to form axial venting passages, wherein one of the turns (51, 52, 53) includes an uninterrupted portion (55) aligned axially with an interruption (56) in another of the turns (51, 52, 53).