Container Lid Push Button with Linear Locking Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing container lids with push buttons can inadvertently release the cap, leading to spillage due to accidental activation, as they lack a mechanism to prevent unintended release.
Innovation Solution
A container lid design featuring a push button coupled with a linearly translating locking mechanism that can lock the button in place, preventing accidental activation and ensuring the cap remains sealed until intentionally released.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a push button is added to allow easy opening, then ease of operation is improved, but reliability deteriorates due to accidental activation
Solution Approach 1:
The opening mechanism is segmented into two independent actions: pressing the button (first action) and lifting the cap (second action). Both actions are required to open the container, so accidental button pressing alone cannot cause opening. This segmentation resolves the contradiction by maintaining ease of intentional opening while preventing accidental activation.
Solution Approach 2:
The cap is designed with a preliminary blocking feature that prevents the opening action before it can occur accidentally. The cap must be deliberately lifted after button press, creating a preliminary barrier against accidental opening. This anti-action mechanism ensures reliability while preserving ease of operation when intended.
2Reliability
If a locking mechanism is added to prevent accidental release, then reliability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The locking function is merged with the existing button and cap structure. The button press position itself serves as the locking state, and the cap's engagement with the button creates the lock. No separate locking mechanism is added; the existing components perform both opening and locking functions, resolving the contradiction by maintaining reliability without increasing complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The button serves multiple functions: it acts as both the activation trigger and the locking mechanism. The cap also serves dual purposes as both the seal and the release lever. This multi-functionality resolves the contradiction by providing accidental release prevention through the existing structure without adding complex separate locking components.
3Reliability
If a two-step opening mechanism is implemented, then reliability is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The mechanism transitions dynamically between locked and unlocked states based on user action. The button press quickly transitions the system from locked to unlocked, and the cap lift completes the opening. This dynamic response resolves the contradiction by ensuring intentional opening (reliability) while maintaining fast execution when needed (ease of operation).
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2A~2B
Figure 3
AI summary
A container lid can include: a body having an opening formed therethrough and a thread pattern formed thereon for mating the container lid to a container; a cap rotatably coupled to the body, the cap configured to rotate between a sealed position in which the cap seals the opening and a released position in which the cap does not seal the opening; a button disposed on the body, the button configured to release the cap from the sealed position, causing rotation of the cap to the released position, upon activation of the button; and a locking mechanism operably coupled to the button, the locking mechanism configured to linearly translate in a horizontal direction with respect to the body between a locked position in which the locking mechanism prevents the activation of the button and an unlocked position in which the locking mechanism allows the activation of the button.