Disposable Pump with Suck-Back Mechanism for Collapsible Containers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing disposable pumps are not suitable for use with collapsible containers, particularly semi-rigid types, as they require external forces to return to a filled state and lack sufficient suction pressure to overcome negative pressure during emptying, leading to leakage and inefficiency in dispensing liquids of varying viscosities.
Innovation Solution
A disposable pump design featuring a resilient housing and regulator with a tiltable outer valve and a one-way inner valve, allowing for automatic return to the closed position using plastic material resiliency and incorporating a suck-back mechanism to prevent leakage, suitable for use with semi-rigid collapsible containers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If a disposable pump is used with a semi-rigid collapsible container, then the container maintains structural integrity and information visibility, but the pump requires greater suction force to overcome negative pressure during emptying
Solution Approach 1:
The pump is extracted as a separate disposable component that can be easily replaced, allowing the container to maintain its semi-rigid structure for stability while the pump provides the necessary suction force independently. The pump body is designed to be detachable from the container, enabling separate optimization of each component's properties.
Solution Approach 2:
The pump design incorporates adjustable parameters including piston surface area, stroke length, and valve timing to optimize suction force generation. The system can adapt pumping parameters to match the specific resistance characteristics of different container types and liquid viscosities, maintaining effectiveness across varying conditions.
2Ease of manufacture
If a disposable pump is designed for single-use, then manufacturing cost and complexity are reduced, but the pump must function effectively across varying liquid viscosities without adjustment mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The pump is designed with universal characteristics that enable it to handle liquids of varying viscosities effectively. The piston-cylinder geometry, valve sizing, and chamber volumes are proportioned to provide adequate suction force for both low-viscosity and high-viscosity liquids, making the pump adaptable to different liquid types without requiring adjustment mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The pump parameters are pre-configured during manufacturing to account for the full range of expected liquid viscosities. The piston surface area, stroke length, and valve timing are predetermined to provide sufficient suction force for the most viscous liquid anticipated, ensuring effective operation across all expected conditions without requiring user adjustment.
3Ease of operation
If the pump uses a resilient housing and automatic return mechanism, then external forcing means are eliminated, but the pump structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The pump incorporates a resilient housing that automatically returns the piston to its initial position after each pumping stroke, eliminating the need for external forcing means. The elastic deformation of the housing material provides the restoring force, allowing the pump to reset itself automatically and enabling simple push-button operation without complex return mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The resilient housing utilizes elastic deformation parameters to achieve automatic return. By selecting appropriate material properties and geometric dimensions, the housing can store and release elastic energy to drive the piston back to its starting position, providing automatic reset functionality through material parameter selection rather than mechanical complexity.
4Productivity
If the outer valve is made displaceable between symmetrical and tilted positions, then liquid flow control is improved, but the valve mechanism becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The outer valve is designed to be displaceable between a symmetrical closed position and a tilted open position, allowing dynamic control of liquid flow. The valve can assume different angular positions to regulate flow rate and direction, providing improved flow control capability while maintaining a relatively simple single-valve structure compared to multiple valve systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The valve mechanism utilizes asymmetric positioning where the valve can be tilted to a specific angle to open the flow path. This asymmetric displacement from the symmetrical closed position allows effective flow control with a simple tilting motion, achieving variable flow control without requiring complex multi-position mechanisms or multiple valves.
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 pump effectively dispenses liquids of varying viscosities without external force, maintains a sealed condition, and is recyclable as a single unit, overcoming the negative pressure in collapsible containers and minimizing leakage.
Implementation Method 1
wherein the housing and the regulator are formed from a resilient plastic material, and wherein the pump comprises return means automatically returning the pump from said dispensing position to said closed position, whereby the return means uses the resiliency of said plastic material for overcoming a negative pressure created in the collapsible container during emptying thereof
Implementation Method 2
the liquid leaving the chamber creates a negative pressure in the fluid chamber, which negative pressure functions to draw new liquid from the container into the pressure chamber
Data Source
Figure 1a
Figure 1b
Figure 1c
AI summary
The present invention relates to a disposable pump (1) for a dispensing system for liquids, in particular for a dispensing system which comprises a compressible container (400), wherein the pump (1) comprises a chamber (110) in which the pressure may be varied for pumping liquid from the container (400) to the chamber (110), and further from the chamber (110) to a dispensing opening (120), the chamber (110) enclosing an inner valve (230) for regulating a flow of liquid between the container (400) and the chamber (110), and an outer valve (220) for regulating a flow of liquid between the chamber (110) and the dispensing opening (120), wherein the pump (1) may assume a closed position, in which a volume of liquid is drawn from the container (400) to the chamber (110) by means of a negative pressure created in the chamber (110), and a dispensing position, in which a volume of liquid is drawn from the chamber (110) to the dispensing opening (120). The pump is characterized in the inner valve (230) being a one-way valve, for opening for a flow of liquid in the dispensing direction at an inner valve opening pressure acting in the dispensing direction, and closing for any pressure acting in a direction opposite to the dispensing direction, the outer valve (220) being a two-way valve, for opening for a flow of liquid in the dispensing direction or in the direction opposite the dispensing direction at an outer valve opening pressure, depending on the direction of the outer valve opening pressure, such that, as the pump (1) transfers from the dispensing position to the closed position, and a negative pressure is created in the chamber (110), the pressure difference between the container (400) and the chamber (110) will cause the inner valve (230) to open so as to allow liquid to pass from the container (400) to the chamber (110), and the pressure difference between the dispensing opening (120) and the chamber (110) will cause the outer valve (220) to open to allow liquid to be sucked back from the dispensing opening (120) to the chamber (110).