Dispensing Bottle-Top With Part-Spherical Sliding Surfaces

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing dispensing bottle-tops for liquid or viscous products are structurally complex, aesthetically unappealing, and lack reliable mechanical guidance, often leading to unwanted rotation and poor sealing, which degrades the appearance and shelf life of products.

Innovation Solution

A dispensing bottle-top design featuring a body and top part with complementary part-spherical surfaces that slide relative to each other, hidden guiding elements, and a main slot with secondary slots, allowing for smooth, ergonomic operation and effective sealing without visible separation between components.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a cap structure with lateral skirt is used to provide pivot axis and mask outlet orifice, then the bottle-top can achieve proper mechanical guidance and sealing, but the structure becomes complicated and aesthetically unappealing

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemechanical guidance and sealingVSAvoidstructure complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The invention extracts and eliminates the lateral skirt from the bottle-top structure. Instead of using a cap that pivots within a lateral skirt, the invention employs a top part that slides linearly along the bottle-top body axis, removing the need for the lateral skirt and its associated complexity while maintaining mechanical guidance through complementary part-spherical surfaces.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The invention inverts the conventional pivoting mechanism by using a linear sliding mechanism instead. Rather than the cap rotating about a diametrical axis within a lateral skirt, the top part moves linearly along the axial direction, sliding over complementary part-spherical surfaces that provide the necessary mechanical guidance without requiring a lateral skirt.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

2Ease of manufacture

If visible separation lines between body and top part are present, then manufacturing and assembly are simplified, but the aesthetic appearance is degraded

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemanufacturing simplicityVSAvoidaesthetic appearance
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSShape

Solution Approach 1:

The invention merges the visual appearance of the body and top part by ensuring that the separation line between them is hidden from external view. The top part is designed to extend to the lateral surface of the bottle-top body, concealing the junction line and creating a seamless, integrated appearance while maintaining the modular construction for manufacturing benefits.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

3Reliability

If the top part is narrow to provide hooks and slots for curved trajectory translation, then mechanical guidance is achieved, but the device becomes more complex and aesthetically compromised

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemechanical guidanceVSAvoidstructural complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The invention extracts and removes the complex hook-and-slot mechanism required for curved trajectory translation. Instead of using a narrow top part with hooks that engage in curved slots, the invention employs a simplified linear sliding mechanism where the top part moves directly along the axial direction over complementary part-spherical surfaces, eliminating the need for hooks and curved trajectory constraints.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

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 design provides a clean aesthetic, reliable mechanical guidance, and effective sealing, ensuring easy one-finger operation and preventing unwanted rotation, while maintaining a compact shape and ensuring product shelf life.

Implementation Method 1

this bottle-top has a lateral wall formed by the body and, in said inactive configuration, an upper wall consisting entirely of the upper wall of the top part, this body and this top part having complementary part-spherical surfaces, respectively concave and convex, adapted to slide one along the other with a relative movement

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectFriction: Friction

Data Source

PatentEP2516286B1Dispensing bottle-top for bottle for products of liquid or viscous consistency and bottle fitted with such a bottle-top
Publication Date: 2015.08.12 CHANEL PARFUMS BEAUTE SAS
  • EP2516286B1 patent drawingFigure 1~4
  • EP2516286B1 patent drawingFigure 5~10
  • EP2516286B1 patent drawingFigure 11~15

AI summary

A dispensing bottle- top 10 for bottles for products of liquid or viscous consistency includes a bottle- top body ( 20) adapted to be mounted on a bottle and including a feed cavity (13) and a top piece (30) adapted to be moved relative to this body between an inactive configuration in which a product dispensing orifice (35) is blocked and an active configuration in which this dispensing orifice (35) is exposed to the outside and communicates with the feed cavity (13). This bottle- top has a lateral wall that is advantageously cylindrical and is formed by the body 20 and, in said inactive configuration, an upper wall consisting entirely of the upper wall of the top part 30. This cylindrical body and this top part have complementary part - spherical surfaces adapted to slide one along the other with a relative movement and being connected by complementary retaining and guiding elements that remain hidden by this top part in each of the active and inactive configurations thereof. The dispensing orifice 35 is in one of the sliding surfaces.