Closure Lid Inverted Dimples Visual Tactile Seal Confirmation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing lids for beverage containers often fail to ensure a secure seal, leading to accidental spillage due to gaps or tolerances between the lid and the container rim, making it difficult to confirm proper closure visually or tactily.
Innovation Solution
A lid design featuring a plurality of inverted dimples on the top wall that project outward when the lid is securely seated on the container rim, providing both visual and tactile confirmation of a secure seal through pressure points and markings.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a simple lid design is used, then manufacturing cost and device complexity are reduced, but sealing reliability and ease of confirming proper closure deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses visual indicators (color-coded zones: green for proper sealing, yellow for partial sealing, red for no sealing) to provide immediate feedback on sealing status. This allows users to easily confirm proper closure without complex mechanical indicators, maintaining simplicity while improving reliability assessment.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent incorporates feedback mechanisms including visual indicators showing sealing status and tactile dimples that provide sensory confirmation of proper lid engagement. This feedback loop ensures users can verify sealing reliability without adding significant complexity to the lid structure.
2Device complexity
If traditional lid designs are used, then device complexity is minimized, but the ability to detect and measure proper sealing deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs color-coded visual indicators that change based on sealing status, making it immediately apparent whether the lid is properly sealed. The green/yellow/red color system provides intuitive detection without requiring complex measurement devices or complicating the lid structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent divides the lid surface into segmented zones with different textures (smooth areas versus dimpled areas) that correspond to different sealing states. This segmentation allows users to easily detect and measure sealing quality by touching or observing specific regions, simplifying the detection process without adding complexity.
3Ease of manufacture
If gaps or tolerances are allowed between lid and container rim, then ease of manufacture and adaptability are improved, but reliability of secure attachment deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates compliant elements that can deform elastically to accommodate variations in container rim dimensions. This allows the lid to maintain reliable secure attachment across different container sizes and manufacturing tolerances without requiring precise manufacturing, thus improving both ease of manufacture and attachment reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses flexible sealing elements and thin film structures that can adapt to slight variations in container rim geometry. These compliant components ensure reliable sealing and secure attachment even when gaps or tolerances exist between the lid and container, maintaining reliability while allowing easier manufacturing.
Data Source
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AI summary
A lid (10) for securing to the rim of a container, the lid including inverted dimples (33) positioned along a top wall of the lid for engaging the rim of the container. The top wall (24) includes one or more inverted dimples which reverse direction and pop up to project outwards and upwards from beyond the top wall (24) of the lid when the lid is applied to the rim of a container. When all the dimples are raised, the lid is seated firmly on the container. The raised dimples provide both visual and tactile confirmation of a secure seal of the lid (10) to the rim of a container.