Container Lid Slider With Content Indicator and Fluid-Tight Sealing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing lids for containers have hygienic deficiencies and complex designs, particularly when it comes to sealing and indicating the contents of flowable substances like beverages.
Innovation Solution
A lid with a slider mechanism that uses a form-fit and force-fit connection via a convexity and a content indicator system, made from materials like plastic or paper, ensuring easy production, hygiene, and effective sealing, along with a tapered annular ring to direct spills and a vent hole for gas management.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a complex sealing mechanism is used to ensure fluid-tight sealing, then sealing reliability is improved, but device complexity increases and manufacturing difficulty increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the sealing function from a complex mechanical sealing mechanism and implements it through a simple slider component that seals against the opening in the lid. The slider with sealing element directly engages with the opening to provide fluid-tight sealing without requiring additional sealing mechanisms or complex assemblies.
Solution Approach 2:
The lid and slider are designed as disposable components made from molded plastic or paperboard materials. Rather than using durable, complex sealing mechanisms that require maintenance and precise fitting, the invention uses inexpensive, single-use components that are discarded after one use, eliminating the need for precise fitting requirements and complex sealing systems.
2Reliability
If precise fitting requirements are imposed on slider and opening, then sealing reliability is improved, but manufacturing precision requirements increase and production difficulty increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the approach from requiring precise dimensional parameters to achieving sealing through the interaction geometry of the slider and opening. The tapered annular ring and the way the slider engages with the opening create a self-aligning sealing mechanism that accommodates normal production tolerances without requiring high-precision manufacturing.
Solution Approach 2:
The lid is made from composite or molded materials (plastic or paperboard) that can be formed with integrated sealing features. The molding process allows the opening and surrounding structure to be formed as a single piece with built-in sealing geometry, eliminating the need for separate sealing components and reducing fitting precision requirements.
3Strength
If a convexity structure is added to the lid for slider connection, then connection strength is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the connection structure into the lid by forming a convexity (boss or protrusion) as an integrated feature of the molded or formed lid structure. This eliminates the need for separate connection components while providing sufficient connection strength for the slider attachment, reducing overall device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The convexity structure serves multiple functions: it provides the connection point for the slider, acts as a reinforcement feature in the lid structure, and can serve as a mounting point for other components. This multi-functionality reduces the need for additional structural elements, maintaining simplicity while ensuring connection strength.
4Loss of information
If content indicators are made rotatable around horizontal axis, then information visibility is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic content indicators that can rotate from a retracted position to an extended indicating position. This allows the lid to transition between a compact closed state and an informative open state, providing content information only when needed. The indicators are spring-loaded or friction-based, allowing simple manual operation without complex mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The content indicators utilize the radial dimension by rotating around a horizontal axis perpendicular to the lid surface. This allows information to be presented in a different spatial dimension, extending outward from the lid body when activated. The indicators can be arranged radially around the opening, utilizing the circular space efficiently without adding vertical height or horizontal footprint.
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention relates to a lid for a container holding a flowable substance which comprises a mounting portion to be attached to the container and an opening to remove the flowable substance from the container, whereas the opening is opened and closed by means of a slider which is connected to the lid and rotates around a vertical axis.