Flexible Seal Blade for Container Fluid-Tight Sealing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing container assemblies often fail to form a proper fluid-tight seal due to manufacturing defects, surface imperfections, and food residue, leading to leakage issues.
Innovation Solution
A container assembly design featuring a removable lid with a flexible seal, comprising a securing member and a blade portion that forms a fluid-tight seal by contacting the interior surface of the storage receptacle's sidewall, utilizing channels on the lid and receptacle to secure the seal effectively.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a traditional seal design is used, then the structure is simple, but the seal cannot form a proper fluid-tight connection due to manufacturing defects and surface imperfections
Solution Approach 1:
The seal utilizes a flexible blade portion made of elastomeric material that can deform to accommodate surface imperfections and manufacturing defects. This flexibility allows the seal to conform to the sidewall surface even when minor defects are present, maintaining fluid-tight sealing performance without requiring complex rigid structures.
Solution Approach 2:
The seal design changes the physical state and properties of the sealing interface by using an elastomeric material that can alter its shape and compliance. The blade portion's flexibility allows it to adapt its geometry to match the actual surface conditions, transforming the sealing problem from a rigid fit issue to a flexible conformance solution.
2Reliability
If the seal contacts the sidewall directly, then the sealing action is simple, but food residue prevents proper seal formation
Solution Approach 1:
The seal is pre-formed with a blade portion that extends beyond the securing member, creating a preliminary sealing interface before the lid is fully assembled. This pre-positioned blade portion is designed to engage with the sidewall in a way that accommodates food residue, allowing the sealing action to occur automatically during the normal assembly process without requiring additional cleaning steps.
Solution Approach 2:
The flexible blade portion acts as an intermediary element between the lid and the sidewall. Rather than requiring direct contact between rigid surfaces, the elastomeric blade portion mediates the sealing interface, deforming to bridge gaps created by food residue and surface imperfections, thus maintaining seal integrity despite contaminated surfaces.
3Strength
If the seal is difficult to install, then the sealing structure can be more robust, but the ease of assembly is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The seal is divided into distinct functional segments: a securing member portion that interfaces with the lid and a blade portion that contacts the sidewall. This segmentation allows each portion to be optimized independently - the securing member provides strong attachment to the lid while the flexible blade portion provides accommodation for surface imperfections, achieving both strong connection and ease of installation.
Solution Approach 2:
The seal incorporates dynamic elements through the flexible blade portion that can deform during installation and operation. This dynamic flexibility allows the seal to be easily installed by allowing temporary deformation during assembly, while then forming a robust, adaptive connection that maintains strength during use, resolving the contradiction between installation ease and connection robustness.
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 ensures a reliable fluid-tight seal by displacing the blade portion to form a secure contact with the receptacle's sidewall, even in the presence of minor defects or food residue, enhancing the container's sealing performance.
Implementation Method 1
The blade portion of the seal forms a generally fluid tight seal with the sidewall while the sidewall contacts the second receiving channel
Data Source
AI summary
A storage container assembly comprises, a storage receptacle, a removable lid, and a seal. The storage receptacle has a base and a continuous sidewall connected to the base. The sidewall has an interior surface and an exterior surface. The lid has a main body that covers at least a portion of the storage receptacle. The lid has a first and a second receiving channel. The seal has a securing member and a blade portion. The securing member goes into the first receiving channel of the lid to connect the seal to the lid. The blade portion of the seal contacts the interior surface of the sidewall. The exterior surface of the sidewall contacts the second receiving channel. The sidewall of the storage receptacle is within the second receiving channel. The blade portion forms a generally fluid tight seal with the sidewall while the sidewall contacts the second receiving channel.