Hermetic Lid-Container Assembly with Snap-In Centering
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing hermetic lid-container assemblies for food require significant time and special care in production, are costly, and prone to leakage, necessitating a quicker and safer coupling mechanism.
Innovation Solution
A hermetic lid-container assembly featuring a snap-in connection with male and female connecting means, including a projection and recess for secure sealing, along with centering elements to ensure rapid and correct alignment, allowing for easy and repeated coupling and decoupling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If pressure closure with flat surface abutment is used, then hermetic sealing is achieved, but coupling time increases and special care is required
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing function is segmented into two distinct components: the flat abutment surface on the container edge and the corresponding sealing surface on the lid interior. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently, with the flat surface providing stable positioning and the lid surface providing the hermetic seal, thereby reducing coupling time while maintaining sealing reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The flat abutment surface is pre-formed on the container edge during molding, creating a ready-to-couple interface that guides the lid into position before the actual sealing action occurs. This preliminary positioning action eliminates the need for complex alignment procedures during coupling, reducing time loss while ensuring reliable hermetic sealing.
2Reliability
If complex coupling mechanisms are used, then hermetic sealing is ensured, but device complexity increases and cost rises
Solution Approach 1:
The positioning and sealing functions are merged into a single integrated flat abutment surface structure on the container edge. This unified structure performs both alignment and sealing functions simultaneously, eliminating the need for separate complex mechanisms and reducing overall device complexity while maintaining hermetic sealing reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The flat abutment surface structure is self-aligning and self-sealing during the coupling process. When the lid is pressed onto the container, the flat surface automatically guides the lid into the correct position and creates the hermetic seal without requiring external alignment tools or complex actuation mechanisms, thereby reducing device complexity and cost.
3Reliability
If traditional sealing methods are used, then hermetic closure is achieved, but leakage resistance is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The flat abutment surface creates a pre-compression zone that distributes sealing pressure evenly across the sealing interface before final closure. This prior cushioning effect ensures that the sealing surfaces are already optimally positioned and pressured to prevent leakage, enhancing hermetic closure reliability and preventing food leakage during transport and storage.
Data Source
Figure 1A~1B
Figure 2A~2B
Figure 3A~3C
AI summary
A lid - container assembly (20, 10) including a container (10) with an edge area (12) and a planar surface (14), a lid (20) and connection means (30, 40) of male - female type for their removable connection. Furthermore, the container (10) and the lid (20) including means for the reciprocal centering (13, 23). In particular, the planar surface (14) including a projection (13) susceptible to counteract with the lid (20) so that the planes (π1, π2) defined by the lid (20) and by the planar surface (14) are parallel to each other when the lid (20) and the container (10) are coupled.