Collapsible Spout With Pleated Body and Underside Mount
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing collapsible spouts for open-top containers are limited by their design, which often requires multiple pieces and restricts their height, making pouring less efficient and prone to spills.
Innovation Solution
A collapsible spout with a reconfigurable molded plastic body featuring concentric pleats and an integral pull-ring, allowing for manual extension from a collapsed condition to a stable, extended position, securely attached to the underside of the closure deck with a U-shaped channel and externally threaded collar, enhancing height potential and ease of use.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of moving object
If a roll sock configuration with multiple pieces is used, then the spout can be extended manually, but the height is limited and the structure becomes complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple spout pieces into a single integrated molded body with concentric pleats. The pleated structure allows the spout to extend to greater heights while maintaining a one-piece construction, eliminating the need for multiple separate components that would increase device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The concentric pleats are nested within each other in a collapsed condition, similar to a nested doll structure. When extended, the pleats unfold sequentially to achieve greater height. This nesting mechanism allows compact storage while enabling extended height when needed, resolving the contradiction between height and complexity.
2Ease of operation
If the spout is installed from the top side of the closure, then attachment is straightforward, but the seal protection and user access become less efficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the traditional installation approach by mounting the spout from the underside of the closure deck rather than the top side. The U-shaped channel engages with the flange on the interior side of the deck, providing both secure attachment and improved user access to container contents while maintaining sealing effectiveness.
3Ease of operation
If the spout remains extended, then pouring is facilitated, but the seal is compromised and contents are exposed
Solution Approach 1:
The spout is designed as a dynamic component that can transition between collapsed and extended states. The pull-ring mechanism allows the user to extend the spout for pouring operations, and the spout can be collapsed back to its compact state to maintain seal integrity and protect contents when pouring is not needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The spout temporarily discards its collapsed protective state during pouring operations to enable extended functionality. After use, it is recovered back to the collapsed state to restore seal protection. This cyclical discarding and recovering of the collapsed state allows the spout to provide both pouring efficiency and seal protection as needed.
Data Source
AI summary
A manually extendible plastic spout for use in combination with the closure for an industrial container. The spout has a peripheral flange with a U-shaped channel which receives a downwardly extending flange on the closure so that the spout is installed from the bottom side of the closure rather than according to the more customary top-mounted procedure. The body of the spout is pleated and has an outlet collar which is threaded to receive a cap having a pull-ring, an integral internal seal is also provided. The spout can be extended to any of several stable positions or conditions.