Pen Closure Cap Multi-Passage Air Exchange Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing closure caps for pens have safety issues as they ensure air exchange only in a single orientation, leading to potential blockage and reduced safety when inhaled, especially in children, due to the design of air openings and material usage.
Innovation Solution
A closure cap design featuring a primary passage perpendicular to its cross-section and a secondary passage parallel to its cross-section, along with a tertiary passage if needed, to ensure air exchange and prevent blockage, with the primary passage concealed between the outer and inner portions to enhance safety and usability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a single air opening is provided in the closure cap, then the structure is simple and manufacturing is easy, but the safety function is insufficient when the cap is inhaled in non-axial orientations or becomes wedged in the trachea
Solution Approach 1:
The air exchange function is segmented into multiple independent passages (primary passage perpendicular to the closure cap axis and secondary passage parallel to the closure cap axis). This segmentation ensures that if one passage is blocked due to non-axial inhalation or foreign body obstruction, the other passage can still provide air exchange, thereby improving safety without requiring a single complex multi-directional opening structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention introduces a second dimension of air exchange by adding a secondary passage that is oriented parallel to the closure cap axis, complementary to the primary passage that is perpendicular to the axis. This multi-dimensional arrangement of passages ensures air exchange capability from multiple orientations, resolving the contradiction between structural simplicity and safety reliability.
2Reliability
If the air opening is made larger to improve air exchange, then respiratory air exchange is better, but the risk of blockage by foreign bodies such as modelling clay increases
Solution Approach 1:
The air exchange function is divided into multiple separate passages (primary and secondary passages) with appropriate sizes. This segmentation allows each passage to maintain sufficient air exchange capability while keeping individual passage dimensions that reduce blockage risk compared to a single large opening. The distributed architecture ensures that blockage of one passage does not completely prevent air exchange.
Solution Approach 2:
Different passages are designed with different orientations and local characteristics optimized for their specific functions. The primary passage is oriented perpendicular to the closure cap axis for optimal air exchange, while the secondary passage is oriented parallel to the axis and positioned to avoid common blockage zones, providing localized optimization that balances air exchange with blockage resistance.
3Reliability
If the closure cap is designed with a sealed structure to prevent drying out, then the pen is well protected, but the safety function for inhalation is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The closure cap structure is segmented into an outer portion for sealing and an inner portion for air exchange, with multiple passages connecting them. This segmentation allows the outer portion to provide effective sealing to prevent pen drying out, while the inner portion with its multi-oriented passages ensures safety during inhalation by providing alternative air exchange paths that are not compromised by the sealing structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The inner portion acts as an intermediary structure between the sealed outer portion and the environment. It contains the passages that facilitate both air exchange during normal use and safety during inhalation, mediating between the sealing function and the safety function to allow both to coexist without compromising either.
Data Source
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AI summary
A closure cap, in particular for closing pens, wherein there are provided at least one primary passage and at least one secondary passage for ensuring an air exchange through the closure cap.