Perfume Refill Flow Device with Air Supply Duct
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing perfume refill systems are complex and costly to produce, and the refilling process often requires multiple steps and interactions with the air inside the bottle, limiting the refill capacity and efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A flow device with a simple design featuring a body with a fitting portion, a pouring spout, a flow duct, an air supply duct, and a cap that is movable along a sliding axis, allowing for easy refilling without requiring significant parts or steps, and incorporating a mechanism to supply air from the surrounding environment to prevent interaction with the bottle's air, ensuring maximum capacity and efficient liquid transfer.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Shape
If a complex designed perfume bottle is used, then the esthetic appearance is improved, but the production cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system separates the perfume storage function into two parts: an esthetically designed bottle for display and a simple cylindrical refill for storage. The refill can be produced cheaply in large quantities, while the decorative bottle is produced in smaller amounts. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently for its specific function.
Solution Approach 2:
The refill is designed as a simple, inexpensive cylindrical container that can be mass-produced at low cost. Instead of making the storage container equally complex and expensive as the decorative bottle, the system uses a simple refill that serves its functional purpose without aesthetic requirements, reducing production costs significantly.
2Ease of operation
If air interaction during refilling is allowed, then the refilling process is simplified, but the refill capacity is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The air supply duct extracts air from the surrounding environment rather than relying on air already present in the bottle. This separate air supply path allows the liquid to flow continuously from the refill into the bottle without air pressure limitations, enabling the bottle to be filled to its maximum capacity without spilling.
Solution Approach 2:
The air supply duct acts as an intermediary that introduces external air into the system to replace the liquid volume being transferred. This mediator allows continuous liquid flow by maintaining pressure equilibrium without requiring direct interaction between the liquid and the bottle's internal air space.
3Manufacturing precision
If multiple valves are added to control liquid and air flow, then the flow control precision is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cap serves multiple functions simultaneously: it seals the opening, houses both the liquid flow valve and air supply valve, and provides structural support. By combining these functions into a single component, the system achieves precise flow control through multiple valves without proportionally increasing the number of separate parts.
Solution Approach 2:
The cap is designed as a multi-functional component that performs sealing, valve housing, and structural support roles. This universal design allows the system to incorporate multiple valves for precise control of liquid and air flow without adding proportional complexity, as the cap integrates these functions into a single element.
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 simplifies the manufacturing and usage of perfume refills, allows for multiple refills without increasing production costs, and ensures the bottle can be filled to its maximum capacity without spilling or flow blockages, maintaining the esthetic appearance of the original bottle.
Implementation Method 1
a restoring element which exerts a restoring force on the cap with respect to the body toward a closed position in which the first valve and the second valve are held on the first valve seat and on the second valve seat respectively
Implementation Method 2
the liquid transfer means is configured to transfer the liquid contained in the refill into the container
Data Source
AI summary
A flow device having a body mounted in a sealing manner on a vessel, a spout arranged on an end opposite the vessel, a flow duct having a flow outlet situated on the spout and a flow inlet situated in the fitting portion, an air supply duct having an air inlet is situated on the body and an air outlet. The flow device also has a cap which is translationally moveable with respect to the body, the cap having a first valve and a second valve which cooperate respectively with a first valve seat formed by the flow outlet and a second valve seat which is separate from the first valve seat and is formed by the air inlet. A restoring element exerts a restoring force on the cap so as to keep the valves closed in the absence of an opposing force.