Dual-Opening Refillable Container for FIFO Product Extraction

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Solution Overview

Problem

Refillable containers often leave residual stale product due to their design, which prevents users from extracting the last bits of contents efficiently, leading to waste and accumulation of old, stale substances.

Innovation Solution

A refillable canister with openings and closures at both ends, allowing users to invert the container after refilling, ensuring the oldest product is used first by reversing the closure positions, thus utilizing all contents effectively.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If a refillable container has a single opening and closure design, then the structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but the user cannot extract the last bit of product and stale product accumulates at the bottom

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveability to extract all productVSAvoidcontainer structure

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The container is designed with openings and closures at both ends, allowing the user to invert the container after refilling. This inversion enables access to previously trapped product at the bottom, ensuring complete extraction of all contents without waste.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

Solution Approach 2:

The container is divided into two functional ends, each with its own opening and closure mechanism. This segmentation allows independent access from either end, enabling the user to retrieve product from both the top and bottom of the container depending on orientation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

2Productivity

If fresh product is placed on top of remaining product in a single-opening container, then refilling is simple, but the oldest product becomes progressively staler and cannot be used

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveproduct utilization efficiencyVSAvoidwaste of stale product

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSLoss of substance

Solution Approach 1:

After refilling the container with fresh product, the user inverts the container so that the original bottom (now top) becomes the access point. This allows extraction of the oldest product first (FIFO principle), preventing stale accumulation and ensuring complete utilization of all contents.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

Solution Approach 2:

The container is designed in advance with dual openings and closures at both ends, preparing the structure for future inversion and complete product extraction. This preliminary design enables the user to later access and use all product without waste.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

3Ease of manufacture

If the container shape and size are fixed for easy manufacturing, then production is simplified, but the user cannot access the last bit of product

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecontainer productionVSAvoidproduct extraction

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The container maintains a simple fixed shape and size for easy manufacturing, but gains operational flexibility through the ability to be inverted and used from either end. This design simplicity combined with dual-end access allows complete product extraction without complex internal structures.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

Data Source

PatentUS8186391B2Reversible container

Publication Date: 2012.05.29 WILSON JONATHAN

AI summary

A reversible container is provided with a hollow housing and removable closures at each end. The container is filled with a substance, and when at least some of the substance has been removed, the container is refilled with the substance and inverted. In this way, the user is able to use substantially all of the contents of the container, and is able to use completely the older substance first, because the older substance is at the top of the container after the container is inverted.