Container Retention Ring Asymmetric Teeth Torque
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing containers with closures, such as spray pumps, face issues with uncontrolled access to medicaments when the closure is removed, as prior art locking mechanisms are not effective in preventing accidental or intentional removal.
Innovation Solution
A container design featuring a retention ring with more than four retention teeth arranged around the opening, where the tangent to each end-face of the teeth intersects a bisecting plane at an obtuse angle, forming unevenly spaced groups to increase unscrewing torque and prevent uncontrolled access, with specific inter-tooth spacings and configurations to enhance retention.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional locking mechanisms with few retention members are used, then the device complexity is low and ease of manufacture is high, but the reliability of preventing uncontrolled access to medicament is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The retention mechanism is segmented into multiple retention members (more than four) distributed around the container opening, with each member providing independent locking engagement. This segmentation increases reliability by distributing the locking function across multiple points, ensuring that uncontrolled access is prevented even if one retention member fails.
Solution Approach 2:
The retention members are arranged asymmetrically with non-uniform spacing around the container opening, creating varying inter-tooth spacings. This asymmetric arrangement optimizes the mechanical engagement between retention members and closure features, providing enhanced resistance to unthreading while maintaining manufacturability through standardized component designs.
2Strength
If retention members are arranged with uniform spacing, then the manufacturing precision is easier to maintain, but the force distribution and retention effectiveness are suboptimal
Solution Approach 1:
Different regions of the retention mechanism have different inter-tooth spacing characteristics. Specifically, certain retention members have larger gaps to their adjacent members compared to others, creating localized variations in engagement strength. This allows optimization of force distribution at critical locations while maintaining overall structural integrity and manufacturability.
3Ease of manufacture
If the tangent to retention member end-faces intersects the bisecting plane at acute angles, then the retention geometry can be simpler, but the manufacturing process is compromised due to potential tooth damage
Solution Approach 1:
The geometry of retention members is designed with specific angular parameters where the tangent to each end-face intersects the bisecting plane at obtuse angles rather than acute angles. This parameter change prevents tooth damage during manufacturing by ensuring that cutting forces and mold opening forces do not concentrate on acute edges, thereby improving ease of manufacture while maintaining functional effectiveness.
Data Source
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AI summary
A container (100), comprising a thread (120) arranged around an opening (110) for engaging a corresponding thread (120) of a closure (400), more than four retention members (140) arranged around the opening (110), each retention member (140) having an end- face for abutting a member (510) on an interior surface of the closure (400) to impede unthreading of the closure (400), the retention members (140) being arranged such that a tangent (170) to each end- face of the retention members (140) intersects a plane (160, 350) bisecting the container (100) at an obtuse angle (171), wherein the retention members (140) are arranged in first and second groups, the first group (141, 410) comprising one retention member (140) having an end- face substantially parallel to the plane bisecting the container (100), and the second group (142, 420) comprising two or more retention members (140), the first and second groups being arranged on one side of the plane (160, 350), each in a respective quadrant of the container (100), the teeth of the second group (142, 420) have a first inter- tooth spacing, and a second inter- tooth spacing is provided between an end- face of the retention member of the first group (141, 410) and a first retention member of the second group (142, 420), and the second inter- tooth spacing is larger than the first inter- tooth spacing.