Pouring Spout Sealing Structure with Variable Thickness

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional container pouring spout sealing structures face challenges in achieving both sealability and easy opening, particularly in small containers like cosmetics, due to issues with pull-ring type sealing members and hermetic seals, which often result in difficulties with airtightness, ease of opening, and increased manufacturing costs.

Innovation Solution

A pouring spout sealing structure featuring a sealing member with a bottom part, a peripheral wall that rises and is inclined outwardly, and a knob part, integrated with the inside plug through injection molding and surface welding, allowing for reliable sealing and easy breakage, while minimizing weld lines and manufacturing steps.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If the thin part is made thinner to enable easy breakage with small pulling force, then easy opening is improved, but the thin part may break under internal pressure or external pressing force, losing virginity

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveeasy openingVSAvoidvirginity assurance

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The sealing member has non-uniform thickness distribution: a thin part (0.1-0.5mm) at the breakable location for easy opening, and a thick part (0.5-2.0mm) at the pressing force receiving location for reliability. This local quality variation allows different regions to serve different functions - the thin part breaks easily under pulling force while the thick part resists breaking under pressing force.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

2Reliability

If the thin part is thickened to ensure virginity and eliminate injection molding variations, then reliability is improved, but easy breakage is lost and the thin part cannot be opened easily

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvevirginity assuranceVSAvoideasy opening

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

3Reliability

If the adhesive strength of a hermetic seal is increased to prevent leakage, then sealability is improved, but peeling off the seal becomes difficult and may damage nails

Engineering Contradiction:

ImprovesealabilityVSAvoideasy removal

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

4Reliability

If a pull-ring type sealing member is used for food containers, then sealability is improved, but the pull-ring cannot be accommodated in small cosmetic containers

Engineering Contradiction:

ImprovesealabilityVSAvoidcontainer size

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSVolume of moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The sealing member is integrated into the inside plug body through injection molding, forming a unified structure. This merging eliminates the need for separate pull-rings that would require additional space, while maintaining the sealing function through the thin part that can be torn to open the container.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

5Reliability

If the hermetic seal and inside plug body are formed as separate bodies, then sealability is improved, but the manufacturing process becomes more complex and costly

Engineering Contradiction:

ImprovesealabilityVSAvoidmanufacturing steps

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The sealing member is integrated into the inside plug body through injection molding, forming a unified structure. This merging eliminates the need for separate manufacturing and assembly processes for the seal and plug body, reducing manufacturing complexity and cost while maintaining sealing functionality through the specifically designed thin part structure.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Data Source

PatentUS10392168B2Container pouring spout sealing structure

Publication Date: 2019.08.27 KOSE CORPORATION

AI summary

A pouring spout sealing structure of an inside plug includes a sealing member including a bottom part for sealing an opening of a pouring spout of the inside plug, a peripheral wall rising from the peripheral edge of the bottom part, and a knob part extending from the peripheral wall, in which the sealing member is connected to the upper end of the opening of the pouring spout at the peripheral edge of the bottom part, the connected portion constitutes a thin part breakable by a certain pulling force, and the peripheral wall is inclined upwardly and outwardly from the opening of the pouring spout. The container pouring spout sealing structure achieves both sealability and easy opening properties, reduces number of parts and manufacturing steps, and is applicable to small containers such as cosmetic containers.