Self-Sealing Dosepack With Tortuous Fluid Path
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional dose packs without caps are prone to leaks and spills due to the lack of a sealing mechanism, making them unsuitable for single-use applications or refills, as they do not prevent fluid from leaking or being accidentally spilled.
Innovation Solution
A dose pack design featuring a front and back panel with guides that create a tortuous path for fluid communication, allowing the pack to be opened by tearing or cutting, which is formed using adhesives, heat sealing, or sonic welding, ensuring the fluid flows only when exposed to a predetermined force, thus preventing leaks and spills.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a cap is used to seal the dose pack, then the fluid is protected from leaking and spilling, but the cap is made of expensive hard plastic that is not environmentally-friendly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the cap component entirely from the dose pack design. Instead of using a separate cap made of hard plastic, the invention integrates the sealing function into the pack structure itself through guides formed by heat sealing or sonic welding, thereby eliminating the need for expensive and non-biodegradable cap materials while maintaining leak resistance.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines the sealing function with the structural guides of the pack. The guides are formed using heat sealing or sonic welding techniques that integrate the sealing mechanism directly into the pack walls, merging the functions of structural support and fluid containment into a single integrated structure rather than using separate cap and pack components.
2Ease of manufacture
If no cap is used to reduce cost and improve environmental friendliness, then the dose pack is simpler and more eco-friendly, but the fluid may leak or be accidentally spilled after opening
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates guides that are pre-formed during the manufacturing process using heat sealing or sonic welding. These guides are prepared in advance with specific geometries that control fluid flow paths, ensuring that when the pack is opened, the fluid will follow predetermined channels rather than leaking uncontrollably, thus preparing the structure beforehand to prevent accidental spills.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces guides as intermediary structures between the fluid and the pack opening. These guides act as mediators that control and direct fluid flow, preventing direct uncontrolled discharge of fluid when the pack is opened. The guides serve as an intermediate mechanism that enables cap-less design while maintaining leak resistance through controlled flow paths.
3Reliability
If a tortuous path is created using multiple guides, then the fluid flow is controlled and leaks are prevented, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple sealing functions into a single integrated structure. Rather than using separate sealing components for each guide, the invention forms all guides using heat sealing or sonic welding techniques that create multiple sealing functions simultaneously during one manufacturing process, thereby reducing overall device complexity while maintaining the tortuous path configuration for leak prevention.
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 tortuous path of fluid communication within the dose pack ensures that the fluid is contained and flows only when intentionally opened, preventing accidental leaks or spills, even if the pack is tipped or not sealed with a cap, making it suitable for single-use and refill applications.
Implementation Method 1
The first guide is coupled to or integral with a first edge of the dose pack and extends toward a second, opposing edge of the dose pack. The first guide is formed using an adhesive, heat sealing, or sonic welding.
Implementation Method 2
The first guide is coupled to or integral with a first edge of the dose pack and extends toward a second, opposing edge of the dose pack. The first guide is formed using an adhesive, heat sealing, or sonic welding.
Implementation Method 3
The first guide is coupled to or integral with a first edge of the dose pack and extends toward a second, opposing edge of the dose pack. The first guide is formed using an adhesive, heat sealing, or sonic welding.
Data Source
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AI summary
A dose pack includes a front panel and a back panel that define an internal volume therebetween. A portion of the front panel, the back panel, or both is configured to be torn, perforated, or cut to open the dose pack. A first guide may be positioned in the internal volume and extend toward a second, opposing edge of the dose pack. A second guide may be positioned within the internal volume and extend toward the first edge. A third guide may be positioned within the internal volume. The third guide is substantially perpendicular to the first and second guides. The first, second, and third guides define a tortuous path of fluid communication through which a fluid is configured to flow, after the dose pack has been opened, in response to the dose pack being exposed to a predetermined force.