Blow-Molded Screw-Cap Container Neck for Tight Sealing

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing plastic containers with screw caps face challenges in achieving a reliable, tight seal while minimizing material use and maintaining stability, especially when designed for refill purposes, and they often require additional openings or complex manufacturing processes.

Innovation Solution

A container design with a thin-walled neck featuring an external thread that gains rigidity through a screw connection with a screw cap, utilizing an 'accordion effect' and a sealing element to ensure a tight seal, while the screw cap provides additional stability and is made of thicker material to compensate for the neck's instability.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of substance

If the container is designed with a thin-walled neck to reduce material use, then material efficiency is improved, but the stability and reliability of the thread connection deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvematerial useVSAvoidthread stability
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of substanceVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent changes the physical state and mechanical properties of the thin-walled neck through the screwing process itself. When the screw cap is tightened, the neck undergoes elastic deformation and work hardening, transforming from a unstable thin-walled structure to a stabilized connection. The parameter change occurs in the mechanical strength and rigidity of the neck material during the tightening process, allowing the thread connection to achieve reliable sealing despite the initial thin-walled design.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

2Loss of substance

If the container is designed with a thin-walled neck to reduce material use, then material efficiency is improved, but the structural integrity deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvematerial useVSAvoidstructural integrity
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of substanceVSStrength

Solution Approach 1:

The patent employs a dynamic approach where the structural integrity of the thin-walled neck is not fixed but evolves during use. The neck starts with low structural integrity to minimize material use, but gains strength through the screwing action. The dynamic transformation occurs as the tightening force induces plastic deformation and work hardening in the neck material, converting a weak initial structure into a strengthened connection that maintains structural integrity under operational loads.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

3Ease of manufacture

If the neck is made thinner to reduce material use, then manufacturing cost is improved, but the ease of manufacture deteriorates due to difficulty in forming stable threads

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemanufacturing costVSAvoidthread formation complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements a self-service mechanism where the thin-walled neck itself performs the strengthening function during the screwing process. Rather than requiring complex pre-forming operations or additional reinforcement structures, the neck material automatically work-hardens and stabilizes when the screw cap is tightened. This self-service approach eliminates the need for complex thread formation processes while maintaining manufacturing simplicity and cost-effectiveness.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Data Source

PatentUS20260028163A1Extrusion-blow-moulded container with a screw cap
Publication Date: 2026.01.29 ALPLA WERKE ALWIN LEHNER
  • US20260028163A1 patent drawing
  • US20260028163A1 patent drawing
  • US20260028163A1 patent drawing

AI summary

A container with a screw cap is produced from a plastics material, by blow molding, and has a body with a first end and a second end, which is located opposite the first end, and with a lateral surface located therebetween, wherein a base with a standing surface is formed at the second end and an opening is formed at the first end, and wherein the opening is defined by a neck, which encloses the opening and is formed in one piece with the container, an external thread being formed on the neck, wherein the screw cap is provided with an internal thread which, when the screw cap has been placed in position, interacts with the external thread, and wherein a sealing element is formed on the inner side of the screw cap.