One-Piece Actuator Slider Lock for Reliable Valve Blocking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing aerosol or propellant-based dispensers often require multiple components, complex assembly, and can be difficult to operate, with locking components prone to misplacement, leading to ineffective locking mechanisms.
Innovation Solution
A one-piece actuator with a slidable body that can be positioned between locked and unlocked states, featuring a frangible gate connection and a flexible tether for assembly, allowing for a single discrete component design with a tamper-evident feature and tactile feedback.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If multiple components and assembly are used in the actuator, then the locking mechanism can be implemented, but the device complexity increases and assembly costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple actuator components into a single integrated body formed by injection molding. The locking mechanism, slider, and valve actuation components are merged into one piece, eliminating the need for separate parts and assembly operations while maintaining reliable locking functionality through the integrated slider-blocker system
2Reliability
If multiple components and assembly are used in the actuator, then the locking mechanism can be implemented, but the assembly costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The actuator is manufactured as a single piece through injection molding, consolidating multiple components into one manufacturable unit. This eliminates the need for automated assembly machinery and reduces manufacturing complexity, directly lowering assembly costs while preserving the locking mechanism's reliability through the integrated slider-blocker design
3Device complexity
If small locking components are used in the actuator, then the device complexity is reduced, but the components are easy to misplace and locking becomes ineffective
Solution Approach 1:
The locking components (slider and blocker) are integrated into a single continuous structure within the actuator body, eliminating separate small parts that could be misplaced. The slider remains permanently attached to the actuator body through the integrated design, ensuring the locking mechanism remains reliable while maintaining reduced structural complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The actuator is segmented into functional zones within the single-piece construction, with the slider and blocker forming distinct functional elements that can move relative to each other while remaining integrated. This segmentation provides locking functionality without creating separate removable components that could be misplaced
4Device complexity
If a one-piece actuator design is used, then the device complexity is reduced and assembly costs are lowered, but the locking mechanism may be less reliable
Solution Approach 1:
The integrated actuator body incorporates dynamic movement capability through the slider-blocker system, where the slider can move along the actuator body to engage or disengage the blocker. This dynamic mechanism within the one-piece structure provides reliable locking and unlocking functionality while maintaining the simplicity of a single-component design
Data Source
AI summary
An actuator has a slidable body that is slidable between a first position in which the actuation of a valve is blocked by the slidable body and a second position in which the valve can be actuated. The actuator, together with the slidable body, is formed as one piece. In an initial state, the actuator and the slidable body are connected by gates that are frangible. A tether can connect the actuator to the slidable body so that after the gates are fractured, the actuator, together with the slidable body, is still one piece.