Collapsible Bottle Flow Channels Prevent Fluid Trapping
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Solution Overview
Problem
Collapsible containers often trap fluid during collapse, especially with viscous or particulate-containing materials, due to premature collapse at intermediate portions, which hinders fluid flow to the discharge opening.
Innovation Solution
A collapsible bottle design featuring channelways in the side wall that engage with opposing portions to form flow passageways towards a discharge opening, ensuring fluid flow even in collapsed conditions by maintaining structural integrity against vacuum pressures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If the collapsible container collapses at intermediate portions during use, then the container volume is reduced for portability, but fluid flow is blocked and fluid becomes trapped in the container
Solution Approach 1:
The side wall is segmented into multiple panels that can collapse independently, while channelways are provided to maintain fluid flow paths. This segmentation allows the container to reduce volume through controlled collapse of individual panels while preventing complete fluid flow blockage that would occur with uniform collapse.
Solution Approach 2:
Channelways act as intermediary structures that maintain open fluid flow paths even when the container wall collapses. These channelways serve as mediators between the collapsing wall structure and the fluid flow requirement, ensuring that fluid can still reach the discharge opening despite wall deformation.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the container wall is made flexible to enable collapse, then portability is improved, but structural integrity to maintain flow channels deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
Different portions of the container wall have different properties: the channelways are designed with greater structural integrity to maintain flow paths, while other portions of the side wall are more flexible to enable collapse. This local differentiation of wall properties allows simultaneous achievement of collapse capability and flow channel integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The side wall is divided into multiple panels with channelways providing structurally stronger pathways for fluid flow. The panels can collapse flexibly while the channelways maintain their integrity, creating localized structural strength where needed while preserving overall flexibility.
3Ease of manufacture
If the container collapses uniformly, then manufacturing is simplified, but fluid flow is blocked at collapsed portions
Solution Approach 1:
The side wall is segmented into multiple panels that can be manufactured using standard forming processes, maintaining manufacturing simplicity. However, channelways are integrated into this segmented structure to provide controlled collapse paths that maintain fluid flow reliability, preventing uniform collapse that would block flow.
Data Source
Figure 1
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Figure 4
AI summary
A collapsible bottle (10) with a channelways (121, 122, 123, 124, 125) provided in a front wall (21) which, in collapsed conditions of the bottle, the channelways become engaged with opposed portions of the rear wall (22) and define flow passageways toward a discharge opening (14) at one end of the bottle and a closed other end (12) of the bottle.