Drinking Cup Valve Plug Assembly for Low-Suction Leak Sealing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional leak-resistant drinking cups face challenges in balancing a strong seal with ease of use, as valves often require significant vacuum pressure to open, leading to potential leaks when dropped or subjected to impact, and are prone to misalignment and loss during cleaning.
Innovation Solution
A valve assembly for a leak-resistant drinking cup featuring a plug with a base and side wall that forms a seal between a socket and a closure member, movable from a sealed to an unsealed configuration by vacuum pressure, eliminating the need for slits or cuts and facilitating easy actuation with reduced vacuum pressure requirements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a strong seal is used to prevent liquid leakage, then sealing reliability is improved, but vacuum pressure required to actuate the valve increases making it difficult to use
Solution Approach 1:
The valve assembly is divided into multiple functional components: a seal member for creating the liquid-tight seal, a valve member for controlling liquid flow, and an actuator for responsive actuation. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently - the seal member provides strong sealing while the valve member with larger surface area reduces actuation force requirements
Solution Approach 2:
The valve member acts as an intermediary between the seal member and the user's suction force. By providing a larger surface area for pressure application, the valve member amplifies the user's suction effort, making it easier to actuate the seal member without compromising sealing reliability
2Device complexity
If conventional small valves are used, then device size is reduced, but vacuum pressure required to actuate the valve increases
Solution Approach 1:
The valve member is designed with a surface area that is substantially larger than the seal member's actuation surface. This dimensional difference creates a mechanical advantage where the user's suction force is applied over a larger area, reducing the pressure needed to actuate the valve while maintaining a compact overall device size
3Ease of operation
If slits are added to allow liquid flow through the valve, then drinking functionality is improved, but liquid leakage pathways are created
Solution Approach 1:
The valve member is designed to be movable between a first position (blocking liquid flow) and a second position (allowing liquid flow). This dynamic configuration eliminates the need for static slits or cuts, as the valve member itself creates the flow pathway when moved to the second position, preventing leakage when closed while enabling drinking when open
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 solution effectively inhibits liquid leakage while allowing easy drinking by applying vacuum pressure, ensuring a secure seal without requiring excessive suction and simplifying cleaning and assembly by eliminating small parts that can be lost or misaligned.
Implementation Method 1
The seal formed between the plug and socket is selectively moveable from a sealed configuration wherein the plug inhibits fluid communication between the cutout in the socket and the liquid passageway to an unsealed configuration by vacuum pressure being applied to the interior chamber of the plug above a threshold value
Implementation Method 2
Application of vacuum pressure above the threshold value causes a portion of the side wall of the plug to flex away from the socket
Data Source
AI summary
A lid assembly includes a closure member and a valve assembly. The closure member has a socket in fluid communication with a liquid passageway. The socket has a wall with a cutout therein. The valve assembly includes a plug adapted for insertion into the socket to form a seal between the socket and the plug. The plug has a base, a side wall, and an interior chamber cooperatively defined by the base and the side wall. A portion of the side wall of the plug with a minimum thickness is disposed adjacent the cutout when the plug is inserted into the socket. The seal formed between the plug and socket is selectively moveable from a sealed configuration to an unsealed configuration by vacuum pressure being applied to the interior chamber of the plug.