Plug Housing Venting for Dispensing Device Priming
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Solution Overview
Problem
Filling dispensing devices with existing technologies often faces challenges in expelling maximum gas or air before the first use, making it difficult to achieve optimal priming.
Innovation Solution
A product dispensing device with a plug and plug housing design that allows fluid and gas to escape in a first position and be sealed in a second position, utilizing a plug housing with varying sections and a lateral cavity, along with a dispensing valve and vent system for controlled fluid flow.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a conventional filling method is used, then the device can be filled with fluid, but gas or air cannot be effectively expelled before first use
Solution Approach 1:
The plug housing is divided into a main part and a thinned part, creating different functional zones. The main part provides structural support and sealing, while the thinned part creates a dedicated pathway for gas expulsion during priming. This segmentation allows the device to effectively separate the functions of fluid containment and gas evacuation.
Solution Approach 2:
The plug is designed to be movable between at least two positions: a first position that allows gas and fluid to escape during filling, and a second position that seals the system for normal operation. This dynamic positioning enables the same component to serve dual purposes - facilitating priming when needed and preventing leakage during use.
2Object-generated harmful factors
If the plug is fully inserted into the plug housing, then fluid and gas can be sealed, but gas cannot escape during filling
Solution Approach 1:
The plug transitions from a static sealing element to a dynamic component that can be positioned to either allow or prevent gas escape. By moving the plug between positions, the system can control whether gas can escape during filling or if sealing is required during operation.
Solution Approach 2:
Before the plug is fully inserted to seal the system, the system performs a preliminary gas escape phase where the plug is positioned to allow gas and fluid to vent. This preliminary action ensures that gas is removed before the sealing position is achieved, preventing trapped gas from compromising reliability.
3Object-generated harmful factors
If the plug housing has uniform section, then manufacturing is simple, but gas expulsion pathway is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The plug housing transitions from uniform structure to non-uniform structure with a thinned part that creates a localized pathway for gas expulsion. This local modification allows enhanced gas escape capability in a specific region while maintaining structural integrity in other areas, balancing complexity and functionality.
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
Effectively evacuates gas and fluid during filling, ensuring complete priming and preventing backflow, enhancing the efficiency and reliability of the dispensing process.
Implementation Method 1
fluid and/or gas can escape from the plug housing through the opening along and/or around the plug
Implementation Method 2
fluid and/or gas can escape from the plug housing through the opening along and/or around the plug
Implementation Method 3
The lateral cavity may be defined between two sealing rings carried by the main part of the plug
Implementation Method 4
the main part of the plug may carry a dispensing valve and/or the main part of the plug housing houses a dispensing valve, which in an open state, allows fluid to pass from the inside of the pocket and/or reservoir to the outlet, and, in a closed state, does not allow fluid to pass
Implementation Method 5
a feed valve which, in an open state, allows fluid to pass from the reservoir to the inside of the pocket, and, in a closed state, does not allow fluid to pass from the reservoir to the inside of the pocket
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a product dispensing device, comprising: an opening communicating with the outside of the device, a plug, a plug housing; the device being arranged to, at least in the absence of the plug, evacuate fluid and/or gas through the plug housing from a pocket and/or a reservoir of fluid to the opening. The plug housing comprises at least one main part, the plug comprises at least one main part, the main part of the plug housing being arranged to accommodate the main part of the plug, such that in a first insertion position of the plug into the plug housing from the opening, fluid and/or gas can escape from the plug housing through the opening along and/or around the plug, and in a second insertion position of the plug into the plug housing from the opening, for which the plug is further pushed or moved into the plug housing than in the first insertion position, fluid and/or gas can no longer escape from the plug housing through the opening along and/or around the plug.