One-Piece Blow Molded Hot-Water Bottle Threaded Closure

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing hot-water bottles face challenges in manufacturing costs, material complexity, and usability due to the need for additional threaded inserts made of harder materials, which lead to inconsistent sealing and potential defects, especially when produced using blow molding techniques with thermoplastic materials.

Innovation Solution

A hot-water bottle produced by blow molding with a filler neck and hollow body made in one piece from the same thermoplastic material, featuring an external thread on the filler neck and an internal thread on the lid, eliminating the need for separate threaded parts and ensuring a watertight closure without additional material costs.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If an internally threaded insert made of hard plastic or metal is used to close the filling opening, then a mechanically strong connection and watertight seal are ensured, but production costs increase due to additional units and material costs

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvewatertight sealVSAvoidadditional threaded insert
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The invention integrates the threaded insert functionality directly into the filler neck by forming an external thread on the filler neck itself, eliminating the need for a separate internally threaded insert. The lid with internal thread screws directly onto the filler neck, combining what were previously separate components into a unified structure.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The invention extracts the threaded insert from the bottle body and relocates it to the lid. Instead of having an internal thread in the bottle, the external thread is formed on the filler neck and the corresponding internal thread is placed in the lid, simplifying the bottle structure and reducing production complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

2Manufacturing precision

If the thick point is shifted towards the funnel and pressed to form the threaded insert, then the threaded insert position is improved, but there is not enough material to fill the ring groove and bores, resulting in insufficient anchoring

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvethreaded insert positionVSAvoidanchoring strength
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of creating an internal thread in the bottle body (which requires complex insertion and anchoring), the invention inverts the approach by forming an external thread on the filler neck and placing the internal thread in the lid. This reversal eliminates material deficiency issues and simplifies the manufacturing process.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

3Quantity of substance

If the thick point is shifted more towards the shoulder to ensure material availability, then material sufficiency is improved, but the thick part protrudes into the pinched edge area, causing unfavorable formation and potential tearing

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvematerial availabilityVSAvoidpinched edge integrity
Core Design Contradiction:
Quantity of substanceVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The invention removes the problematic thick point requirement entirely by extracting the threaded insert functionality from the bottle body and placing it in the lid. This eliminates the conflict between material availability and pinched edge formation, as no localized thickening is needed in the bottle structure.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

4Reliability

If a rigid metal hot-water bottle is used, then a watertight closure with external thread is achieved, but the rigid shape does not adapt to personal body shapes, reducing comfort

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvewatertight closureVSAvoidbody shape adaptation
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The invention uses a composite construction where the bottle body is made of flexible thermoplastic material that adapts to body shapes, while the closure system uses a harder thermoplastic material for the lid that provides rigid threading for watertight sealing. This combines the advantages of both flexible and rigid materials in appropriate locations.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #40Composite materials

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

This approach simplifies production, reduces costs, maintains comfort and adaptability to body shape, and ensures a reliable watertight seal, enhancing durability and usability while avoiding environmental issues associated with PVC disposal.

Implementation Method 1

Since the thermoplastic tubing material has a temperature above the softening point after exiting the die, the extruded tubing also stretches due to its own weight

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectThermal expansion: Thermal Expansion

Implementation Method 2

hot-water bottles are made of an elastic material, so that the hot-water bottle adapts to the body shape of the person to be treated

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectElasticity: Elasticity

Implementation Method 3

the filler neck has an external thread, the cap has an internal thread for screwing onto the filler neck

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectMechanical fastening: Mechanical Fastener

Data Source

PatentEP2408606B1Hot-water bottle
Publication Date: 2013.04.17 FROSCH HUGO
  • EP2408606B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2408606B1 patent drawingFigure 2~3
  • EP2408606B1 patent drawingFigure 4

AI summary

The invention relates to a hot-water bottle, having a hollow body (1), which can be filled with a fluid, a filler pipe (2) connected to the hollow body (1) for filling said hollow body (1), and a lid (6) for closing the filler pipe (2). The invention is characterized in that the filler pipe (2) comprises an external thread (3), the lid (6) comprises an internal thread for being screwed onto the filler pipe (2), and the hot-water bottle is produced by means of a blow molding method, wherein the filler pipe (2) having external threads (3) and the hollow body (1) are formed in one piece.