Plastic Preform Neck With Radially Offset Wall For Pressurized Containers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing plastic containers for pressurized contents face challenges in maintaining structural integrity and design flexibility while effectively dispensing aerosol compositions, as they often require reinforcement structures to withstand internal pressures and temperature changes.
Innovation Solution
A modified neck design for plastic containers featuring a ring, upper segment, flange, and lower segment with a radially offset inner radial wall segment forming a 90° sharp corner, which provides a transition and enhances the container's ability to retain and dispense pressurized contents, using thermoplastic materials like PET with controlled intrinsic viscosity and wall thickness for improved strength and durability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If plastic containers are used for pressurized contents, then cost reductions and design flexibility are achieved, but structural integrity under internal pressure deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by creating a reinforced neck portion with different wall thickness characteristics specifically at the neck area while maintaining thinner walls in other parts of the container. The neck portion includes a first wall thickness that is greater than a second wall thickness in the body portion, providing localized strength where pressure stresses are concentrated while preserving overall cost-effectiveness and design flexibility of plastic containers.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs composite material principles by combining plastic material with a reinforcement structure in the neck portion. The reinforcement structure can be an integral part of the molded plastic or a separate component, creating a composite construction that merges the advantages of plastic (cost, flexibility) with the strength properties needed to withstand pressurized contents.
2Strength
If reinforcement structures are added to plastic containers, then strength under pressure is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the merging principle by integrating the reinforcement structure directly into the container body as an integral molded feature. The reinforced neck portion is formed as part of the single-shot molding process, eliminating the need for separate reinforcement components and complex assembly steps. This combines the container and reinforcement into a unified structure, maintaining strength while reducing overall device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The reinforcement structure is built into the container during the initial molding process rather than being added later. The neck portion is molded with the appropriate wall thickness variation and reinforcement geometry as a preliminary action, avoiding subsequent assembly steps and reducing manufacturing complexity while ensuring the strength required for pressurized contents.
3Strength
If wall thickness is increased to improve strength, then structural integrity is improved, but material usage and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by varying the wall thickness non-uniformly throughout the container. The neck portion has a first wall thickness optimized for withstanding pressure stresses, while the body portion has a thinner second wall thickness. This localized thickening provides necessary structural integrity at critical areas without increasing material usage throughout the entire container, thus avoiding unnecessary cost increases.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs parameter changes by adjusting the wall thickness parameter specifically in the neck region rather than uniformly across the entire container. The first wall thickness in the neck portion is greater than the second wall thickness in the body, creating a optimized parameter distribution that provides strength where needed while minimizing overall material consumption and associated costs.
Data Source
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AI summary
A neck (10) for a plastic preform and container that is suitable for holding pressurized contents includes a ring (12), an upper segment (14), a flange (16), and a lower segment (18). The upper segment (14) is disposed vertically between the ring (12) and the flange (16) and the lower segment (18) is disposed vertically below the flange (16). An inner radial wall segment (22) of the ring (12) of a neck (10) is radially offset outwardly from an inner radial wall segment (24) of the upper segment (14). In embodiments, the plastic container includes a closure (30), and may be configured to retain and dispense pressurized contents.