Sealable Container Gasket Bumps Negative Pressure
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing food containers with negative air pressure mechanisms are often opaque, costly, and fail to provide a strong seal, especially when not circular in shape, leading to leaks and operational complications.
Innovation Solution
A sealable container system featuring a body with bumps on the side walls and a lid assembly with a gasket that deforms to accommodate these bumps, creating a gap for air to exit and maintain negative pressure, allowing for a secure seal without visible mechanisms.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a valve mechanism or sealing mechanism is used to maintain negative air pressure, then negative air pressure can be maintained, but the container becomes opaque and the mechanism adds cost and operational complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the complex valve mechanism from the container system entirely. Instead of using a mechanical valve to maintain negative air pressure, the invention uses a simple gasket with a lip that engages with bumps on the container rim, creating a seal that maintains negative pressure without requiring any moving parts or complex mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The gasket used in the invention is a flexible elastomeric component that deforms to accommodate the bumps on the container rim. This flexible membrane approach replaces rigid mechanical valve systems, providing both simplicity and effective sealing while maintaining negative air pressure.
2Reliability
If a seal mechanism is used to maintain negative air pressure, then sealing can be achieved, but the container becomes costly and operationally complicated
Solution Approach 1:
The gasket is designed as a simple, inexpensive elastomeric component that can be easily manufactured and replaced if needed. This disposable-like approach to the sealing element eliminates the need for expensive, complex mechanical sealing systems while maintaining effective sealing capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the approach from mechanical sealing parameters to elastomeric deformation parameters. By using the natural elasticity and deformability of the gasket material to accommodate the bumps and create a seal, the system achieves effective sealing through material property optimization rather than complex mechanical adjustments.
3Shape
If a seal with point or radiused corner is used in a square or rectangular container, then the container can be non-circular, but the seal fails to properly function to maintain negative air pressure
Solution Approach 1:
The bumps are strategically positioned at specific locations on the container rim, particularly at corners and along edges, to provide localized sealing points. This local quality approach ensures that the gasket engages properly at critical areas of non-circular containers, maintaining negative pressure regardless of the overall container shape.
Solution Approach 2:
The bumps are pre-positioned on the container rim in predetermined locations and configurations. This preliminary arrangement of sealing features ensures that when the gasket is applied, it automatically engages with the bumps in the correct sequence and positions, guaranteeing proper sealing for non-circular container shapes without requiring complex adjustment or alignment procedures.
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 system effectively maintains negative air pressure within the container, providing a strong seal and ease of operation while being adaptable to non-circular shapes, reducing costs and operational complexity.
Implementation Method 1
the lip of the gasket engages the one or more bumps and deforms to accommodate the one or more bumps
Data Source
AI summary
A sealable container system contains a body and a lid assembly. The body includes an internal volume defined by bottom and side wall(s), bump(s) on the inside surface of the side wall and projecting toward the internal volume, and a lid with outer and inner walls at its bottom side with a channel in-between. A gasket couples to the lid with a wall portion residing within the channel and a lip outside the channel. When the lid assembly is pressed into the body, the lip of the gasket engages the bumps and deforms, and a gap forms between the lip and the side wall, where air in the internal volume exits through the gap. When the lip of the gasket travels past the bumps, the lip fully seats against the inside surface of the side wall, where negative air pressure is imparted to the internal volume of the body.