Pivoting Refill Container for Spill-Free Liquid Dispensing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for refilling sink or counter-mounted dispensers are cumbersome, leading to spillage, overfilling, and waste due to difficulty in reaching and seeing into the small container opening, and frequent refills are necessary due to limited storage capacity.
Innovation Solution
A liquid-dispensing system with a container secured to a base within an enclosure, allowing movement from a first position inside the enclosure to a second position outside for easy refilling, featuring a hinge mechanism for pivoting and a dispenser connected through an outlet, facilitating effortless refilling and reducing spillage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the container is mounted inside the enclosure with a fixed small opening, then the system maintains a compact design, but refilling becomes difficult and cumbersome leading to spillage and waste
Solution Approach 1:
The container is made movable relative to the base through a hinge mechanism, allowing it to pivot between a first position (inside the enclosure) and a second position (outside the enclosure for refilling). This dynamic configuration enables easy access to the inlet for refilling while maintaining a compact mounted design during operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The container is nested within the enclosure when in the first position, with the base secured to the enclosure providing structural support. The hinge mechanism allows the container to be temporarily extracted from the nested configuration during refilling operations, then returned to the nested position.
2Ease of operation
If the container opening is made small to fit within the enclosure, then the compact design is maintained, but visibility and access during refilling become difficult causing spillage and overfilling
Solution Approach 1:
The container pivots to a second position that exposes the inlet outside the enclosure, providing excellent visibility and access during refilling. This eliminates the difficulty of seeing into and reaching the small opening that caused spillage and waste in the fixed configuration.
Solution Approach 2:
The container is extracted from the enclosed space during refilling operations, moving the inlet to an accessible position outside the enclosure. This extraction allows users to easily see and reach the inlet, preventing spillage and overfilling that occurred when the opening was confined within the enclosure.
3Productivity
If the container has limited storage capacity to fit within the enclosure, then the compact design is maintained, but frequent refilling is required increasing operational time
Solution Approach 1:
The ease of refilling enabled by the movable container configuration reduces the time required for each refilling operation. Although the container has limited capacity, the simplified refilling process (easy access, good visibility, no spillage) decreases the operational time penalty associated with frequent refilling.
Data Source
AI summary
A liquid-dispensing system is disclosed. The system includes a container associated with a base, the container and base can be mounted within an enclosure (e.g., a cabinet) or on a ground surface, the container has an inlet and an outlet and is movable relative to the base from a first position to a second, different position to present the inlet for refilling of the container with a liquid. The container can also be fluidly connected with a dispenser through its outlet so that liquid can be dispensed to a user. Methods of refilling the container are also disclosed.