Depressurizing Coin and/or Stamp Display Case
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing collectable item display cases fail to effectively protect items from ambient air exposure, leading to tarnish and degradation, while also being cumbersome, expensive, or lacking a simple and inexpensive means to maintain a vacuum.
Innovation Solution
A depressurizing display case with a built-in air-decompressing finger pump and umbrella check valves that allow air to exit but not re-enter, creating a relative vacuum, and a seal-and-release flap for easy opening and resealing, using non-reactive materials like neoprene rubber or silicone.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a sealed display case is used to protect collectables from ambient air, then protection from tarnish and degradation is improved, but the case becomes expensive and cumbersome
Solution Approach 1:
The display case is divided into separate functional components: a base portion, a lid portion, and an integrated finger pump mechanism. This segmentation allows the vacuum function to be added without requiring a completely complex sealed system, as each component has a specific role in achieving protection.
Solution Approach 2:
The finger pump mechanism is integrated directly into the display case, allowing the user to create and maintain the vacuum seal themselves without requiring external equipment or complex automated systems. The one-way valve automatically maintains the vacuum without active control systems.
2Reliability
If a permanently sealed case is used to maintain vacuum, then protection from ambient air is improved, but the collectable item cannot be easily removed and examined
Solution Approach 1:
The display case transitions from a permanently sealed state to an open state through the finger pump mechanism. The seal is dynamic rather than static, allowing the case to be opened for examination and then resealed to maintain protection, accommodating both preservation and inspection needs.
Solution Approach 2:
The equalization channel is pre-configured to allow air to equalize between the interior and exterior when the lid is opened, preparing the pressure conditions for easy removal and reinsertion of collectables without requiring additional pumping actions during the examination process.
3Quantity of substance
If a traditional seal is used to create vacuum by squeezing, then air can be expressed from the case, but the same seal also allows air to re-enter
Solution Approach 1:
The one-way valve acts as an intermediary element that selectively controls air flow. It allows air to be expressed from the case during pumping but prevents air from re-entering, thereby maintaining the vacuum without requiring the seal itself to have directional flow properties.
Solution Approach 2:
The air expression function is extracted from the sealing mechanism itself. Instead of relying on the seal to both exclude air and allow expression, the air expression capability is provided by the integrated finger pump, while the seal's sole function is to prevent air re-entry when combined with the one-way valve.
4Ease of operation
If the display case is made transparent for examination, then ease of viewing is improved, but protection from ambient air exposure is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The transparency is applied locally to the lid portion and base portion where viewing is needed, while the sealing surfaces and critical interfaces maintain their protective properties. The vacuum seal is established at the interface between transparent portions, allowing both viewing and protection functions to coexist in different locations of the same component.
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 protects collectables from tarnish and degradation by maintaining a vacuum, allowing easy inspection and resealing, while being affordable and user-friendly.
Implementation Method 1
a simple, fully incorporated finger pump to be depressed manually to create an internal low vacuum pressure within the display case
Implementation Method 2
air-decompressing finger pump and umbrella check valve that allow air to exit, but not re-enter
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments of the present invention comprise a decompressing display case for numismatists, philatelists, and others to store and display coins, stamps, or other collectable items. Embodiments of the display case include a built-in air-decompressing finger pump that can be pressed multiple times to express air out of the display case and thereby generate a relative low-level vacuum environment inside the display case to protect the contents from exposure to ambient air, thus deterring tarnish and/or aging of the contents.