Off-Center Plastic Container Neck for Smooth, Spill-Free Pouring
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing plastic containers, particularly those made from polyethylene or polypropylene, suffer from gush-like outflow of filling materials during decanting due to small pouring openings and uneven flow, leading to spillage and user inconvenience.
Innovation Solution
The container design features an off-center neck arrangement with a plane of symmetry, a cam-shaped cross-section, and a continuous air connection between the interior and neck, ensuring even flow and preventing gushing by intuitive gripping and pouring directions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a small pouring opening is used in the container, then the container structure is simple and manufacturing is easy, but gush-like outflow occurs during decanting leading to spillage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies asymmetry by positioning the neck off-center relative to the container's longitudinal axis. This asymmetric positioning creates a specific geometric relationship where the neck is located at a distance from the axis that is less than half the container's diameter, enabling the air connection function while maintaining simple manufacturing
2Ease of operation
If the neck is positioned off-center, then continuous air connection is achieved preventing gush-like outflow, but the container loses symmetry making demolding more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by creating a localized asymmetric feature (the off-center neck) while maintaining overall container symmetry through the specific geometric constraints. The neck positioning creates a local modification that achieves the air connection function without fundamentally altering the global symmetric structure, thus balancing demolding ease with pouring control
3Ease of operation
If a closure element is inserted between sealing surfaces, then pouring control is improved, but additional processing steps are required and single-type disposal is prevented
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the pouring control function from a separate closure element and integrates it directly into the container structure through the off-center neck design. This eliminates the need for additional closure components and processing steps, while maintaining the ability to control liquid flow during decanting through the geometric configuration of the integrated neck
Data Source
AI summary
A container being produced from a plastic material, in particular by means of extrusion blow molding, and the container includes a body having a first end and a second end which is substantially opposite the first end, and a casing located therebetween, wherein a bottom having a base is formed at the second end and an opening is formed at the first end, the opening is defined by a neck which surrounds the opening and which is integral with the container, an external thread is formed on the neck, and the screw cap is provided with an internal thread which can interact with the external thread when the screw cap has been put on. The neck is located off-center within the perimeter of the bottom in the top view.