Separable Container Cap Structure for Easier Plastic Recycling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing container caps with separable plastic parts, such as use trace belts, are difficult to recycle and cumbersome to separate, contributing to environmental pollution and waste management issues.
Innovation Solution
A container cap design featuring a body part, cover part, and separation part connected by first and second connection parts, allowing for easy separation and integration of components for recycling, with the separation part being fixed to a fixing part for easy handling and opening.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a use trace belt is formed integrally with the container cap through plastic injection molding, then the container cap can be manufactured as a single integrated piece, but the use trace belt becomes difficult to separate for recycling and increases plastic waste
Solution Approach 1:
The container cap is divided into multiple separable components: a cap body, a use trace belt, and a cover part. Each component can be separated independently, with the use trace belt being detachable from the cap body through a separation line, enabling easy removal and recycling while maintaining integrated manufacturing benefits
Solution Approach 2:
The use trace belt is extracted as a separate, removable component from the cap body. The belt is connected through a separation line that allows it to be easily detached and removed by users, facilitating waste plastic collection and recycling while maintaining the functional integrity of the remaining cap structure
2Ease of repair
If the use trace belt is separated from the container cap, then plastic materials can be recycled, but the separation operation becomes cumbersome and increases user effort
Solution Approach 1:
The separation line is pre-formed during the injection molding process, creating a predetermined weak point that requires minimal user effort to separate. The design includes features such as bridges or score lines that guide the separation process, making the recycling operation simple and intuitive before the product is actually used for its intended purpose
Solution Approach 2:
The use trace belt is designed as a disposable component that is easily separated and discarded or recycled. The belt serves its function of indicating usage and can be quickly removed without requiring complex tools or procedures, aligning with the concept of easy-to-dispose components that minimize user effort
3Ease of repair
If the container cap uses multiple separable parts, then recycling becomes easier, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The container cap is segmented into distinct functional components (cap body, use trace belt, cover part) that are connected through simple, standardized interfaces. Each segment serves a specific function and can be easily separated, reducing overall structural complexity while enabling recycling
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple functional elements are merged into a unified design where the use trace belt is integrated with the cap body through a separation line, and the cover part is coupled to the body part. This merging reduces the number of completely separate components while maintaining recyclability through the separation line feature
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention relates to a container cap and, more specifically, to: a container cap which is coupled to the mouth of a container in which contents are contained; and a container having same coupled thereto. The present invention provides a container cap comprising: a body part (100) coupled to the mouth (20) of a container (30) in which contents are contained, and having an opening at the top thereof; a cover part (200) coupled to the body part (100) so as to open and close the top opening of the body part (100); and a separation part (300) integrally connected to a first member, which is one of the body part (100) and the cover part (200), by a first connection part (510), and integrally but detachably connected to a second member, which is the other of the body part (100) and the cover part (200), by a second connection part (520), wherein the second connection part (520) is detached by a user's manipulation so as to allow the cover part (200) to be separated from the body part (100).