Delaminatable Container Valve Member Design

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional delaminatable containers have complex cap structures and require troublesome bonding of check valves, leading to increased production costs.

Innovation Solution

A delaminatable container design featuring a container body with an outer shell and inner bag, where the valve member includes a tube with a cavity and a mobile part, allowing for easy mounting by pressing the valve member into the outer shell's fresh air inlet, eliminating the need for a cap-mounted check valve and enabling simple production.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a cap-mounted check valve is used, then air regulation function is achieved, but cap structure becomes complex and production cost increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveair regulation functionVSAvoidcap structure
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The check valve function is extracted from the cap structure and relocated to the outer shell as a valve member. The cap is reduced to a simple closure component, while the valve member with mobile part and cavity is integrated into the outer shell, achieving air regulation without complex cap structure

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The valve member acts as an intermediary component between the intermediate space and external space, providing air regulation function through its mobile part that moves in response to pressure differences, thereby eliminating the need for complex cap-mounted valve mechanisms

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Reliability

If a check valve is bonded to the inside of the outer shell, then air regulation is achieved, but bonding step becomes troublesome and production cost increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveair regulationVSAvoidassembly process
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The valve member is designed as an integrated unit combining the tube with cavity and mobile part, which is then mounted as a single component to the outer shell. This merging of functions into one assembly eliminates multiple bonding steps and reduces manufacturing complexity

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The mobile part is pre-positioned within the cavity of the valve member during manufacturing, so that when the valve member is mounted to the outer shell, the air regulation function is immediately operational without requiring additional assembly steps for the mobile component

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

3Productivity

If the valve member is pressed into the fresh air inlet, then mounting is simplified and productivity increases, but precise positioning must be ensured

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemounting speedVSAvoidvalve member positioning
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The valve member and fresh air inlet are designed with locally optimized geometric features including tapered stems and matching cavity dimensions. These localized quality features ensure precise positioning and secure fit during the pressing mounting process, achieving both high productivity and manufacturing precision

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

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

This configuration reduces production costs and allows for accurate injection molding of the valve components, ensuring secure operation even with small amounts of liquid, such as in eye drop containers, while preventing air leakage and facilitating easy assembly.

Implementation Method 1

the stem has a tapered shape towards an intermediate space side and has an outer circumferential surface closely contacting to an edge of the fresh air inlet, thereby mounting the tube to the container body

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectFriction: Friction

Implementation Method 2

a valve member regulating entrance and exit of air between an external space of the container body and an intermediate space between the outer shell and the inner bag

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectPressure difference: Pressure Gradient

Implementation Method 3

the tube has a stopper to lock the mobile part, in movement of the mobile part from the intermediate space side towards the external space side, on a surface surrounding the cavity, and the stopper is configured to block air communication through the cavity when the mobile part abuts on the stopper

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectMechanical blocking: Valve

Data Source

PatentEP3222541B1Lamination separation container
Publication Date: 2020.07.01 KYORAKU CO LTD
  • EP3222541B1 patent drawingFigure 1A~1C
  • EP3222541B1 patent drawingFigure 2A~2D
  • EP3222541B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A delaminatable container excellent in productivity is provided. The present invention provides a delaminatable container that includes: a container body having an outer shell and an inner bag, the inner bag delaminating from the outer shell with a decrease in contents to be shrunk; and a valve member regulating entrance and exit of air between an external space of the container body and an intermediate space between the outer shell and the inner bag, wherein the container body includes a storage portion to store the contents and a mouth to discharge the contents from the storage portion, the outer shell includes a fresh air inlet communicating the intermediate space with the external space in the storage portion, the valve member includes a tube having a cavity provided to communicate the external space with the intermediate space and a mobile part movably stored in the cavity, the tube includes a stem disposed in the fresh air inlet and a locking portion provided on an external space side in the stem and preventing entrance of the tube to the intermediate space, the stem has a tapered shape towards an intermediate space side and has an outer circumferential surface closely contacting to an edge of the fresh air inlet, thereby mounting the tube to the container body, the tube has a stopper to lock the mobile part, in movement of the mobile part from the intermediate space side towards the external space side, on a surface surrounding the cavity, and the stopper is configured to block air communication through the cavity when the mobile part abuts on the stopper.