Closure Valve Assembly for Bag-in-Box Containers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing closure systems for collapsible plastic bags in 'bag-in-box' packaging systems face challenges in providing secure and efficient fluid access while maintaining aseptic conditions and ease of use, particularly during vacuum pressure operations.
Innovation Solution
A closure valve assembly comprising a housing, a retaining ring, and a valve with specific geometrical features that facilitate secure engagement and fluid passage, including a radially inward protuberance and notch for the retaining ring, and a valve design with cooperative surfaces for sealing and easy piercing by a suction tube, enhancing the assembly's ability to maintain fluid containment and facilitate access.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a closure system provides secure sealing for fluid containment, then sealing reliability is improved, but device complexity increases due to multiple components (housing, retaining ring, valve with cooperative surfaces)
Solution Approach 1:
The closure system is divided into separate functional components: a housing containing the valve, a retaining ring for securing, and a valve with cooperative surfaces for sealing. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized for its specific function while maintaining overall system reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The valve is nested within the housing, and the retaining ring secures the valve assembly. This nested structure provides secure sealing through the cooperative surfaces of the valve while organizing multiple components in a compact, manageable configuration that reduces overall system complexity.
2Reliability
If a closure system provides secure engagement through multiple components, then sealing reliability is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates due to complex assembly and disassembly
Solution Approach 1:
The valve is pre-configured with cooperative sealing surfaces that automatically engage with the housing when the retaining ring secures the assembly. This preliminary configuration ensures reliable sealing without requiring complex manual adjustment or assembly procedures during operation.
3Reliability
If a valve design includes specific geometrical features for secure engagement, then sealing reliability is improved, but manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The valve incorporates specific geometrical features (cooperative surfaces) only at the critical sealing locations, while other portions of the valve can be manufactured with standard tolerances. This localized approach to precision features maintains sealing reliability without requiring high precision throughout the entire component.
Data Source
AI summary
A closure assembly for a container having a housing with a fluid passage, a retaining ring attached to an inner surface of a wall of the housing and having a sloping centering flange, and a valve positioned in the housing and sealing the fluid passage.