Offset Hinged Dispensing Cap for Wipe Containers to Reduce Roping
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing dispensing containers for preimpregnated wipes face issues such as 'fall-back' of wipes, difficulties in separation due to 'roping', inconsistent tension requirements, and leakage of volatile components, particularly when the roll is nearly exhausted.
Innovation Solution
A dispensing cap with a partly stationary and partly moveable plate featuring an offset dispensing orifice surrounded by flexible lobes, a hinged plate with a depending brace wall angled obliquely, and a top closure cap to provide a consistent and secure dispensing mechanism that minimizes 'roping' and retains wipes, while maintaining a seal to prevent evaporation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If wipes are provided in a continuous roll in a cylindrical dispensing container, then a large number of individual wipes can be provided within the container, but the wipes tend to form spirally wound configurations or 'ropes' which are difficult to separate from the next adjacent wipe
Solution Approach 1:
The dispensing cap is designed to rotate about a hinge line, transforming from a static to a dynamic structure. This rotation allows the dispensing orifice to move and adapt to the changing orientation of wipes as they are unspooled from the roll, maintaining consistent dispensing geometry and reducing rope formation throughout the dispensing process
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the geometric parameters of the dispensing system by offsetting the dispensing orifice from the central axis of the roll. This parameter change, combined with the rotational capability, allows the system to compensate for the varying radial direction of wipes as the roll is exhausted, maintaining consistent tension and reducing roping
2Duration of action of moving object
If the roll of wipes is initially dispensed, then wipes can be withdrawn from the container, but as the roll is exhausted and the inner diameter of the interior cavity increases, the orientation of individual wipes varies multidirectionally, requiring inconsistent tension to withdraw wipes
Solution Approach 1:
The hinge mechanism enables the dispensing cap to dynamically rotate and follow the changing orientation of wipes as the roll is exhausted. This dynamic adjustment maintains a consistent geometric relationship between the dispensing orifice and the wipe surface, ensuring uniform tension requirements throughout the entire dispensing duration
Solution Approach 2:
The rotational hinge acts as a feedback mechanism that automatically adjusts the dispensing cap orientation in response to the changing wipe orientation. As wipes are unspooled and their radial direction changes, the hinge allows the cap to rotate and compensate, maintaining consistent dispensing conditions without user intervention
3Reliability
If a dispensing cap with flexible lobes is used to retain the next wipe, then wipe retention is improved, but the hinged plate part requires additional space to move along the hinge line
Solution Approach 1:
The hinged plate part is designed to nest within or alongside the stationary plate structure when not in use. The hinge line is positioned to allow compact movement, and the flexible lobes are integrated into the plate structure, minimizing the overall volume increase while maintaining the rotational capability needed for wipe retention
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
The solution ensures consistent tension for easy wipe separation, reduces 'roping' issues, and effectively retains wipes, while preventing premature evaporation of the treatment composition, providing a user-friendly and efficient dispensing experience even as the roll is exhausted.
Implementation Method 1
a plurality of individual flexible lobes
Implementation Method 2
the wipes or sheets are moist due to the presence of the preimpregnated treatment composition, and typically exhibit a significant degree of surface drag
Implementation Method 3
a moveable hinged plate part of the dispensing orifice which is moveable along a hinge line from which the hinged plate part depends from a part of the stationary plate
Implementation Method 4
the hinged plate part includes a depending brace wall which extends downwardly from the hinged plate part from the underside thereof, which brace wall is located at or near the periphery of the said remaining portion of the dispensing orifice present on the hinged plate part, characterized in that the brace wall is angled at an oblique angle with respect to the hinged plate part
Data Source
Figure P1~P2
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AI summary
Disclosed is a dispensing cap adapted to be removably, or permanently affixed to a container which container contains a plurality of individual wipes interconnected to one another but separable along one or more perforations between individual wipes, which dispensing cap includes a partly stationary and partly moveable plate having a dispensing orifice which is offset from the center part of the dispensing cap, said dispensing orifice being surrounded by a plurality of individual flexible lobes, a portion of the dispensing orifice being defined by the stationary plate part, a further portion of the dispensing orifice being defined by a moveable hinged plate part of the dispensing orifice which is moveable along a hinge line from which the hinged plate part depends from a part of the stationary plate, and further wherein the hinged plate part includes a depending brace wall which extends downwardly from the hinged plate part from the underside thereof, which brace wall is located at or near the periphery of the said remaining portion of the dispensing orifice present on the hinged plate part.