Double Rib Overcap Seal for Membrane Containers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Overcaps for containers with membranes often lose their tight fit after the membrane is removed, leading to potential contamination and detachment issues due to a loose fit, as they no longer create a secure interference with the container rim and surface.
Innovation Solution
The overcap design features a skirt with two inside surfaces and ribs, along with a circumferential ring, which provide interference-fits with the container rim and inner wall, ensuring a secure seal both with and without the membrane attached, using a combination of material deformation and rib engagement to maintain attachment and prevent detachment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the overcap is dimensioned to create a tight fit with the container surface and membrane when the membrane is attached, then the sealing barrier is improved, but once the membrane is removed the overcap may not create a tight fit with only the container surface
Solution Approach 1:
The overcap's engagement structure is divided into two distinct segments: an outer peripheral surface that engages the container rim, and an inner peripheral surface that engages the membrane. This segmentation allows each surface to be optimized independently - the outer surface provides structural support and rim engagement, while the inner surface creates the sealing barrier with the membrane, resolving the contradiction between maintaining a tight fit with the membrane and adapting to the container surface alone when the membrane is removed.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the overcap are given different functional properties: the outer peripheral surface is designed with dimensions and features optimized for engaging the rigid container rim to provide structural support, while the inner peripheral surface is designed with specific dimensional characteristics optimized for creating a sealing barrier with the flexible membrane. This local differentiation allows the overcap to maintain reliable sealing when the membrane is present while still functioning adequately when the membrane is removed.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the overcap creates a tight fit with the membrane and rim, then contamination prevention is improved, but when the membrane is removed the overcap may become loose and allow contamination or detachment
Solution Approach 1:
The overcap is pre-configured with an inner peripheral surface dimensioned to engage the membrane before the membrane is removed. This preliminary engagement with the membrane provides the primary sealing action that prevents contamination during storage. When the membrane is removed, the overcap transitions to engaging only the container rim, but the preliminary design of the inner peripheral surface ensures that the engagement features are already in place to maintain attachment security in both states.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention adds a radial dimension to the sealing mechanism by creating an inner peripheral surface that engages the membrane radially inward from the outer rim engagement. This radial dimensionality allows the overcap to create a sealing barrier in addition to structural attachment, providing dual functionality that prevents contamination while maintaining attachment security even when the membrane is removed.
3Reliability
If the overcap is designed for interference-fit with the membrane and rim, then the seal integrity is improved, but the device complexity increases with multiple engagement surfaces
Solution Approach 1:
The overcap's engagement structure is designed to perform multiple functions simultaneously: the outer peripheral surface provides structural attachment to the container rim, while the inner peripheral surface provides sealing engagement with the membrane. This multi-functionality is achieved within a single, integrated overcap component rather than requiring separate sealing and attachment mechanisms, thereby maintaining relatively simple device complexity while achieving high seal integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention merges the sealing function and attachment function into a single integrated overcap structure. The outer peripheral surface and inner peripheral surface are combined in one component that simultaneously provides both structural support through rim engagement and sealing through membrane engagement. This merging eliminates the need for separate sealing elements or complex multi-component assemblies, achieving high seal integrity with moderate complexity.
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
This design ensures a reliable interference-fit seal is maintained after the membrane is removed, preventing contamination and ensuring the overcap remains securely attached, enhancing the storage integrity of perishable products.
Implementation Method 1
The first inside surface is diametrically dimensioned to produce an interference-fit with the membrane and rim when the overcap is connected to the container with the attached membrane
Implementation Method 2
The second inside surface is diametrically dimensioned to produce an interference-fit with the rim alone when the overcap is connected to the container without the membrane
Implementation Method 3
The circumferential ring defines an outside surface that produces an interference-fit with an inner wall of the container when the second inside surface engages the rim of the container
Implementation Method 4
the first rib engages beneath the rim of the container to resist detachment of the overcap
Implementation Method 5
the second rib engages beneath the rim of the container to resist detachment of the overcap and to provide a seal
Implementation Method 6
The circumferential ring also includes a distal end opposite the top panel that engages the membrane to increase the stability of the overcap
Data Source
AI summary
There is provided a double rib overcap with a plug for a container with a removable membrane. The skirt of the overcap includes two inside surfaces axially separated a rib. The container opening is encircled by a rim and the membrane covers the opening such that the membrane extends radially onto an outer surface of the rim. The two inside surfaces of the skirt are dimensionally sized to create an interference-fit with the rim when the overcap is connected to the container when the membrane is either attached or removed. The overcap also includes a circumferential ring radially inward of the skirt that is axially positioned to engage the top surface of the membrane when the membrane is attached to the container and is diametrically dimensioned to engage an inner wall of the container when the membrane is removed from the container.