Flexible Sealing Member for Odor-Free Diaper Pail
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional diaper pails fail to effectively prevent odor release due to challenges in providing airtight seals between moving components, particularly between the drum and the drum housing, leading to incomplete odor control and increased complexity and cost.
Innovation Solution
A waste container design featuring a drum housing with a pivotable drum body and a flexible sealing member that has a freely movable outer end, allowing for improved sealing contact with the drum body's external surface, ensuring a tight seal and reduced odor escape, even when the drum body rotates.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If multiple seals and additional related parts are provided to seal between housing and receptacle assembly, then odor control is improved, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple sealing functions into a single integrated seal structure that simultaneously seals between the housing and receptacle assembly and between the drum and housing, eliminating the need for multiple separate seals and reducing overall device complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The seal is designed to perform multiple sealing functions at different locations within the device, acting as both a static seal between housing components and a dynamic seal for the rotating drum, thereby reducing the total number of sealing components needed
2Object-affected harmful factors
If a substantially airtight seal is provided between moving components (drum and housing), then odor control is improved, but device complexity and manufacturing difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a flexible seal member that can accommodate the rotational movement of the drum while maintaining continuous sealing contact with the housing, eliminating the need for complex mechanical sealing systems and reducing manufacturing difficulty
Solution Approach 2:
The seal is designed to dynamically adapt to the rotating drum's movement, maintaining effective sealing contact throughout the rotation cycle without requiring complex adjustment mechanisms or multiple sealing components
3Ease of manufacture
If conventional sealing arrangements are used with moving drum components, then manufacturing is simplified, but odor control effectiveness deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The flexible seal member provides effective odor control while maintaining manufacturing simplicity, as the flexible material naturally conforms to the drum's rotation and housing surface without requiring complex assembly procedures or specialized manufacturing processes
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 significantly enhances odor control by maintaining a consistent sealing contact between the sealing member and the drum body, improving sealing characteristics and reducing odor release, while also being easier to manufacture and maintain.
Implementation Method 1
A flexible sealing member extending about the circumferential edge of the drum opening of the drum housing, wherein the sealing member, as seen in an axial cross-section, comprises a connection part that is located radially outwards, and that is connected to the drum housing, and wherein the sealing member comprises a sealing part that is connected to the connection part and that extends radially inward from the connection part
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2a
Figure 2b
AI summary
The present invention concerns a waste disposal device (10) comprising a container (12) having a bottom (24), a circumferential wall (26), and a cover (16) closing the container opening. The cover (16) comprises a drum housing (58) and a drum body (78) pivotably connected to the cover (16). The waste disposal device (10) further comprises a flexible sealing member (64)connected to the drum housing (58) having a sealing part that extends radially inward from the connection part and which may be brought into sealingly contact with the external surface of the drum body (78) for sealing the container opening in a substantially odor-free manner. According to the invention, the end of the flexible sealing member (64) that is remote from the connection part is free from any connection to the drum housing (58) such that a freely movable free end of the flexible sealing member (64) is formed.