Medication Container Cap with Pretensioned Septum Sealing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing caps for medication containers face issues with dead volumes, product retention, and inadequate sealing forces, leading to inefficiencies and increased material consumption.
Innovation Solution
A cap design with a pretensioned septum and a materially bonded connection, featuring conical inner surfaces and a web-like structure to enhance sealing and reduce material thickness, while minimizing deformation risks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the septum is held under pretension in the cap, then sealing forces are improved, but puncture forces increase and material consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The septum features a conical outer surface that contacts a conical inner surface of the cap at a specific sealing zone, concentrating the pretension force locally rather than distributing it uniformly. This localized sealing approach improves sealing effectiveness while reducing the overall material thickness required throughout the septum structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the geometric parameters of the septum by introducing a conical outer surface with a specific angle range (10°-45°) that optimizes the balance between sealing force generation and puncture resistance. This parameter optimization allows adequate sealing with reduced material consumption.
2Reliability
If radial pretensioning of the septa is increased to improve sealing forces, then sealing function is improved, but piercing forces increase
Solution Approach 1:
The conical sealing surface design concentrates the pretension effect at the sealing zone rather than requiring high pretension throughout the entire septum structure. This localized approach improves sealing function while maintaining lower overall piercing forces compared to uniform pretension designs.
Solution Approach 2:
The conical geometry of the septum's outer surface creates a curved contact interface with the cap's inner surface. This curved geometry optimizes the distribution of pretension forces, improving sealing effectiveness while reducing the peak forces required for piercing compared to flat or cylindrical designs.
3Stability of the object's composition
If internal undercuts and annular gaps are present in the cap, then mechanical decoupling of deformation forces is achieved, but dead volume is created and product retention occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The invention removes the internal undercut structure from the cap design. Instead of using an undercut receptacle to hold the septum, the septum is retained by a conical outer surface of the septum itself that contacts a conical inner surface of the cap. This extraction of the undercut feature eliminates dead volume while maintaining mechanical stability through the conical sealing interface.
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 design ensures effective sealing, reduces material usage, and maintains sealing integrity even under deformation, thereby improving safety and efficiency in medication administration.
Implementation Method 1
The septum (2) is held under tension in a receiving space (20) of the dome (26)... Tightness between the cap and the septum can be achieved in different ways with a septum... the septum is held in the cap in a friction-locked manner without additional material closure such as bonding or welding
Implementation Method 2
a materially bonded connection, in particular a welded connection, is arranged between the septum and the body
Implementation Method 3
additional material closure such as bonding or welding
Data Source
AI summary
A cap for closing a container for administering a medication includes a pot-shaped body having a cavity with at least one or more openings and a base plane for delimiting the cavity at least in some regions. The cap also has at least one septum. The body has a dome with an end-face opening closed by the septum. The dome protrudes from the base plane on the base plane face opposite the cavity. The septum is inserted into a receiving area of the dome under pretension.