Plastic Bottle Anti-Rotation Snap Connection
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing plastic bottles for toilet cleaners often suffer from accidental rotation during transit or use, compromising the comfort and safety of the angular attachment, and lack effective anti-rotation features to maintain a defined orientation.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates an anti-rotation feature between the attachment and the bottle container, utilizing snap connection elements, toothing, and elevations on the bottle shoulder to ensure the attachment maintains a preferred rotational orientation, preventing accidental rotation and enhancing child-proof safety.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If an angular adapter attachment is snap-connected to the bottle neck, then the metering opening can be oriented in an angular manner while keeping the bottle container simple for blow molding, but the attachment may accidentally rotate during transit or use, compromising safety and comfort
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies asymmetry by configuring the bottle neck with an asymmetric toothing pattern (teeth arranged non-uniformly around the circumference) and corresponding asymmetric snap connection elements on the attachment. This asymmetric configuration creates a unique fit that prevents rotational movement, as the attachment can only be properly positioned in one specific orientation relative to the bottle neck, thereby maintaining reliable orientation without complicating the overall blow molding process.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements preliminary action by pre-configuring the anti-rotation features (asymmetric toothing and snap connection elements) into the bottle neck and attachment during manufacturing. These features are built-in beforehand to prevent accidental rotation before the product is even used, ensuring that the attachment maintains its correct orientation from the moment it is snap-connected to the bottle neck throughout transit and storage.
2Reliability
If ribs are configured on the internal wall of the bottle neck to prevent rotation, then the attachment is secured against rotation, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies multi-functionality by designing the snap connection elements to serve dual purposes: they both secure the attachment to the bottle neck and simultaneously prevent rotation through their asymmetric toothing configuration. This eliminates the need for separate anti-rotation ribs or additional structural features on the bottle neck, as the snap connection mechanism itself performs both functions, thereby maintaining structural simplicity while achieving reliable anti-rotation.
Data Source
AI summary
A plastic bottle, in particular a toilet cleanser bottle, has a bottle container, preferably formed by blow-molding, with a bottle neck and an angled attachment. The attachment is snapped onto the bottle neck in a direction of placement. The bottle neck has a first snap connection element and the attachment has a second snap connection element. In order to ensure a defined angular orientation between the angled attachment and the bottle container, an anti-rotation lock is formed between the attachment and the bottle neck, in particular between the two snap connection elements. To this end, preferably the snap connection elements engage positively with one another by way of toothings. Alternatively, an elevation having recesses is formed on a bottle shoulder for ensuring the anti-rotation lock.