Flexible Bottle Closure Cylinder for Repeated Airtight Resealing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing bottle closure methods, such as corks and metal caps, fail to securely reseal after initial opening, allowing air ingress and contamination, and are difficult to reinstall, posing challenges for maintaining beverage freshness and integrity.
Innovation Solution
A flexible cylinder with a top ring and bottom ring, featuring elliptical openings and a virtual hinge mechanism, allows easy installation and repeated sealing, while accommodating a can cap covering for convenient transport.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If corks are press-fit into the bottle neck, then the bottle can be sealed, but the cork expands making it difficult to re-install and allows air to migrate into the bottle
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a flexible cylinder made of elastomeric material that can be stretched and deformed. The cylinder includes a bottom ring that slides over the bottle neck and a top ring that seals the opening. The flexible nature of the material allows the cylinder to be compressed for installation and then expand to provide a secure seal, while still enabling easy removal and re-installation without the expansion problems of traditional corks.
2Reliability
If metal caps are press-fit onto the bottle, then the bottle can be sealed, but the cap bends making it virtually impossible to re-install
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces rigid metal caps with a flexible elastomeric cylinder that can be stretched and deformed. The bottom ring of the cylinder slides over the bottle neck while the top ring provides a seal. This flexible design allows the cap to be compressed for installation and then return to its original shape, enabling multiple installations and removals without the bending problems of metal caps.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical state of the sealing material from rigid (metal) to flexible (elastomeric), allowing the material to undergo reversible deformation. The cylinder can be compressed to fit over the bottle neck and then expands to provide a secure seal, while still enabling easy removal and re-installation through controlled deformation of the elastomeric material.
3Reliability
If twist-off caps are used for sealing, then the bottle can be sealed and re-sealed, but it becomes tedious to do so repeatedly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent designs a cylinder that automatically seals the bottle opening through its flexible nature. The bottom ring slides over the neck while the top ring naturally seals the opening without requiring manual twisting or complex operations. The elastomeric material provides a self-sealing mechanism that maintains closure with minimal user intervention, reducing the time and effort required for repeated sealing.
4Reliability
If corks are used to seal the bottle, then the bottle can be protected, but the porous structure allows air to migrate and spoil the contents
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a flexible cylinder made of non-porous elastomeric material that forms a complete barrier around the bottle neck. The bottom ring slides over the neck while the top ring seals the opening, creating a non-porous protective barrier that prevents air and contaminants from migrating into the bottle contents, eliminating the porosity problem of traditional corks.
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 flexible cylinder provides secure, repeated sealing, prevents contamination, and maintains beverage freshness, with the ability to easily access the contents and minimize spillage, enhancing the drinking experience.
Implementation Method 1
a cylinder of flexible material... the first elliptical opening configured to allow the solid top surface to be removed from the top opening of the neck of the bottle by stretching the flexible material
Implementation Method 2
the bottom ring configured to slide over the neck of the bottle
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus comprising a cylinder of flexible material, where the diameter of the cylinder matches the outside diameter of a bottle neck. The apparatus includes a solid top surface with a top ring of flexible material extending around the circumference, and an underside containing a centered raised circle matching the inside diameter of the bottle neck. The solid top surface is designed to cover the top opening of the bottle neck. The cylinder has an open bottom end with a bottom ring of flexible material extending around the circumference, configured to slide over the bottle neck. Inside the cylinder, a void extends from below the solid top surface through the open bottom end. A first elliptical opening in the cylinder wall extends around at least 50% of the circumference, allowing the solid top surface to be removed from the bottle neck by stretching the flexible material so that the top opening of the bottle neck extends through the elliptical opening.