Nutritive Substance Delivery Container with Sealed Release Seal
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Solution Overview
Problem
Nutritive substances sensitive to heat, light, oxygen, and moisture cannot be effectively incorporated into food or drink products due to damage or degradation during sterilization processes, necessitating separate containers for storage and delivery just before consumption.
Innovation Solution
A container design featuring a laminate seal or insert coated with a nutritive substance, which is released only upon consumer activation, allowing for gradual delivery during consumption while maintaining the substance's integrity by preventing contact with the product and atmosphere until consumption.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If nutritive substances are added to food or drink products requiring heat sterilization, then the product can be sterilized, but the high sterilization temperatures damage or destroy the nutritive substance
Solution Approach 1:
The container is divided into separate compartments: a main body for the food or drink product and a sealed chamber for the nutritive substance. This segmentation allows the product to be sterilized while the heat-sensitive nutritive substance remains protected in its sealed compartment, avoiding direct exposure to high sterilization temperatures.
Solution Approach 2:
The nutritive substance is sealed in a protective chamber before the sterilization process occurs. This preliminary sealing action prevents the nutritive substance from being exposed to harmful sterilization conditions, and the substance is only released after sterilization is complete and safe to consume.
2Ease of operation
If nutritive substances are exposed to the atmosphere prior to consumption, then they can be delivered to the product, but their shelf life and effectiveness are reduced due to sensitivity to light, oxygen, and moisture
Solution Approach 1:
The nutritive substance is extracted from direct contact with the atmosphere and stored in a sealed chamber that isolates it from light, oxygen, and moisture. This extraction from the harmful atmospheric environment preserves the substance's stability and extends its shelf life while maintaining the capability to deliver it to the product when needed.
Solution Approach 2:
A sealed chamber or barrier acts as an intermediary between the nutritive substance and the atmosphere. This intermediary structure protects the substance from degrading factors while still allowing for controlled delivery to the product when the consumer activates the device.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the nutritive substance is sealed separately from the product, then it is protected from degradation, but it cannot be mixed with the product until just before consumption
Solution Approach 1:
The container incorporates a dynamic release mechanism that allows the sealed chamber to be opened or the substance to be dispensed at the moment of consumption. This dynamic capability maintains preservation during storage while enabling timely delivery when needed, eliminating the loss of time between preservation and delivery.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention comprises a novel apparatus for delivering a nutritive substance comprising a container body having a base at one end thereof, an upper portion (12) adapted for removable receipt of a closure (16), the upper portion defining an opening (40) therein, and a chamber defined by the container body, the chamber being in fluid communication with the upper portion opening. A seal (42) is bonded across the upper portion opening of the container and is adapted to provide an airtight seal across the opening. A closure is removably coupled to the container upper portion. A nutritive substance is coated onto an element selected from the group consisting of an inner surface of the container upper portion, the closure, an insert positioned above the seal, and combinations thereof. The seal prevents contact between the nutritive substance and the contents of the container until the seal is removed or pierced.