Dispensing Container Nozzle With Check Valve Air Inlet
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional dispensing containers face issues with poor dispensing operability due to foam resistance and degradation of suction back function, leading to liquid dripping and solidification problems after dispensing operations.
Innovation Solution
A dispensing container design featuring a nozzle with a through-hole equipped with a check valve, allowing direct air entry and efficient liquid return, ensuring quick container restoration and preventing dripping, while maintaining hygiene and reducing component costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If outer air is introduced into the container body through the outer-air inlet passage during squeeze-back, then the container shape is restored, but foam gathers in the inlet passage creating resistance and delaying restoration
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the air inlet function into two separate passages: the outer-air inlet passage for introducing air during squeeze-back, and the through-hole in the nozzle for direct air entry. This segmentation allows air to enter through multiple paths, preventing foam accumulation and resistance in a single passage, thereby maintaining fast restoration speed.
Solution Approach 2:
The check valve is introduced as an intermediary component in the through-hole to control air flow direction. It prevents liquid from entering the through-hole while allowing air to pass through, mediating between the need for direct air entry and the need to prevent liquid leakage.
2Reliability
If foam is drawn to the outer-air inlet passage during restoration, then air enters the container body, but the foam creates resistance and degrades suction back function
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the air inlet function into two separate passages: the outer-air inlet passage and the through-hole in the nozzle. This segmentation ensures that foam does not accumulate in a single passage, maintaining reliable suction back function and smooth dispensing operability by providing multiple air entry paths.
Solution Approach 2:
The check valve is installed locally in the through-hole to provide selective functionality: it allows air to enter during squeeze-back while preventing liquid from entering the same passage. This local quality control maintains suction back function reliability without compromising dispensing operability.
3Ease of manufacture
If the container uses a simple nozzle structure, then component costs are reduced, but liquid dripping and solidification problems occur after dispensing
Solution Approach 1:
The patent adds a simple through-hole structure to the existing nozzle, segmenting the air inlet function without requiring a complete nozzle redesign. This minimal structural addition enables liquid return and prevents dripping while keeping component costs low and manufacturing simple.
Solution Approach 2:
The through-hole with check valve enables the nozzle to automatically return liquid to the container body using the squeeze-back pressure differential, without requiring additional active components or complex mechanisms. The system serves itself by utilizing its own pressure dynamics.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3A~3B
AI summary
A dispensing container that dispenses a liquid contained therein in foam includes: a container body (410) storing therein a liquid; and a base cap (430) mounted to a mouth (411) of the container body. The container body (410) is flexible so that a squeeze operation may be performed on the container body. The base cap (430) is provided, on a top wall, with a nozzle (442) forming a tubular passage communicating with a front end orifice. The nozzle (442) is provided with a foaming mechanism for the liquid at an upstream end portion and with a through-hole in a predetermined position on a circumferential wall of the nozzle that is downstream of the foaming mechanism. The through-hole is provided with a check valve, and the front end orifice communicates with an inside of the container body through the through-hole.