Container Lid Push-Button Latch for Secure Seal and Easy Opening
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing container lids face challenges in providing a secure, air-tight seal while also being easy to open and close, often requiring a trade-off between leakage prevention and ease of use.
Innovation Solution
A container lid design featuring a push button with a latch mechanism and a bias member that urges the push button toward a closed position, allowing for easy engagement and disengagement, and a resilient lid opening seal to maintain a secure seal without relying solely on friction or pressure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a secure, air-tight seal is provided using friction or pressure, then leakage prevention is improved, but ease of opening and closing deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing function is segmented from the opening/closing function. The lid includes a separate latch mechanism (with latch member and latch engageable portion) that independently secures the lid to the container, while the seal member provides the air-tight seal. This segmentation allows the seal to maintain strong friction/pressure for leakage prevention without requiring the user to overcome excessive force for opening and closing, as the latch handles the security function.
Solution Approach 2:
The latch mechanism acts as an intermediary between the user and the seal. When closing the lid, the user operates the push button which actuates the latch to engage with the container, securing the lid in place. The seal member then automatically forms the air-tight connection between the lid and container. This intermediary latch mechanism allows the seal to maintain strong engagement forces without directly transferring the full opening/closing force burden to the user.
2Ease of operation
If a latch mechanism is added to improve ease of opening and closing, then ease of operation is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple functions are merged into the latch mechanism: the push button serves as both the user interface and the actuating mechanism; the latch member provides both the locking function and the engagement interface with the container; and the latch engageable portion integrates with the push button assembly. This merging reduces the number of separate components needed, simplifying the overall device while maintaining ease of operation through the unified push-button interface.
Solution Approach 2:
The latch mechanism is designed to be self-actuating through the push button. When the user presses the push button, it directly actuates the latch member to engage or disengage from the container without requiring separate manual manipulation of the latch components. The spring member automatically returns the push button to its initial position after actuation, providing self-resetting functionality. This self-service design simplifies the user interaction while maintaining ease of operation.
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 a secure, air-tight seal while allowing for easy opening and closing, balancing leakage prevention with user convenience.
Implementation Method 1
a bias member configured to urge the push button toward a first push button position in which the latch is engageable with the container and to resiliently deform in response to movement of the push button to a second push button position in which the latch is disengaged from the container
Implementation Method 2
a resilient lid opening seal configured to seal the lid opening
Data Source
AI summary
A container lid may include a container top, a closure, and a push button. The closure may be coupled to the container top and movable between a closed closure position in which a lid opening of the container top is closed and an open closure position in which the lid opening is open. The push button may be movably coupled to the closure. The push button may include a latch configured to selectively engage the container top when the closure is in the closed closure position. The push button may be movable between a first push button position in which the latch is engageable with the container top and a second push button position in which the latch is disengaged from the container top. The closure defines a push button recess and the push button is disposed substantially within the push button recess and substantially enclosed by the closure.