Drinking container with pivoting closure
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing drinking containers often fail to prevent liquid spills, are difficult to open, or are overly complex and expensive to manufacture.
Innovation Solution
A drinking container design featuring a vessel with a pivoting lid and cap, a locking tab, and a hinge system that allows the lid to pivot between open and closed positions, ensuring secure closure and easy opening, while also incorporating a sliding mechanism to disengage the locking tab and facilitate cap removal.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a locking tab mechanism is added to prevent spills, then spill prevention improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The locking tab and hinge are combined into a single integrated component rather than separate parts. The tab is formed as part of the lid structure and the hinge is integrated into the cap, reducing the number of discrete elements while maintaining the spill-prevention function through the coordinated action of the tab engaging with the cap's inner surface.
Solution Approach 2:
The hinge serves multiple functions: it allows the lid to pivot between open and closed positions, and it also enables the locking tab to engage and disengage from the cap. The oblong opening in the hinge pin acts as both a pivot point and a sliding path for the tab, combining movement and locking functions in a single structural element.
2Reliability
If a secure locking mechanism is implemented, then spill prevention improves, but ease of operation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The hinge uses an oblong opening that allows dynamic movement between two states: pivoting motion when the lid is being opened or closed, and sliding motion when the locking tab needs to disengage. This dynamic capability enables the mechanism to transition smoothly between locked and unlocked states without requiring excessive force, maintaining ease of operation while ensuring secure closure when closed.
3Ease of operation
If a complex hinge mechanism is used to allow pivoting and sliding, then ease of operation improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The hinge combines pivoting and sliding capabilities in a single structural element. The oblong opening in the hinge pin serves dual purposes: it allows the lid to pivot on the pin axis, and it provides a path for the locking tab to slide along during engagement and disengagement. This merging of functions reduces the number of separate components needed while maintaining operational ease.
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 effectively prevents spills, is user-friendly, and reduces manufacturing costs by simplifying the mechanism while maintaining functionality.
Implementation Method 1
a hinge located proximate a rear of the lid and interconnecting the cap to the lid, to allow the lid to pivot on the cap between a closed and open position
Implementation Method 2
a locking tab at the front of the lid, that engages with an inner surface of the cap, to retain the lid in the closed position
Implementation Method 3
The first and second abutment surfaces are arranged to contact with each other as the lid is pivoted from the open position to the closed position. Contact of the first and second abutment surfaces urges the lid and the tab forward as the lid is pivoted to the closed position
Implementation Method 4
The hinge comprises at least one hinge pin mounted in an oblong opening to allow pivoting of the lid, and sliding of the lid on the cap to allow the locking tab to be disengaged from the inner surface of the cap
Data Source
AI summary
A drinking container comprises a vessel; a cap, atop the vessel; a lid; and a hinge located proximate a rear of the lid and interconnecting the cap to the lid, to allow the lid to pivot on the cap between a closed and open position. A locking tab is at the front of the lid that engages with an inner surface of the cap, to retain the lid in the closed position. A first abutment surface is on the cap and a second abutment surface is on the lid. The first and second abutment surfaces are arranged to contact with each other as the lid is pivoted from the open position to the closed position. Contact of the first and second abutment surfaces urges the lid and the tab forward as the lid is pivoted to the closed position.