Refillable Dispenser with Pressurized Refilling Device
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Solution Overview
Problem
Compact dispensers for viscous materials are limited in capacity, wasteful, and expensive due to frequent discarding and refilling issues, with existing filling machines being large and unsuitable for personal use.
Innovation Solution
A refillable dispenser system with a pressurized refilling device that is compact, propellant-free, and suitable for home and personal use, allowing for efficient and safe refilling without electrical power, using a combination of valves and elastic sleeves to manage pressure and prevent contamination.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Weight of moving object
If a compact dispenser is used, then portability and ease of handling are improved, but the amount of material it can contain is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the material storage function into two separate components: a compact dispenser for portability and a separate refilling device for bulk material storage. The dispenser contains only enough material for immediate use, while the refilling device holds additional material that can be transferred to the dispenser when needed.
Solution Approach 2:
A pressurized refilling device serves as an intermediary between bulk material storage and the compact dispenser. This intermediary device enables efficient material transfer through pressure-driven flow, allowing the compact dispenser to be quickly refilled without manual pouring or complex assembly.
2Quantity of substance
If frequent discarding and purchasing of new dispensers occurs, then material replenishment is ensured, but waste and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of discarding the dispenser after use, the system recovers the dispenser container and refills it using the separate refilling device. This approach separates the container from the consumable material, allowing the durable dispenser to be reused multiple times while only the material in the refilling device is consumed.
3Quantity of substance
If refilling by pouring is used, then material can be transferred, but contamination and spillage risk increase
Solution Approach 1:
The refilling device uses pressure-driven fluid dynamics to transfer material from the refilling device to the dispenser. By applying pressure to the material in the refilling device, the system achieves controlled flow through a sealed connection, eliminating the need for manual pouring and preventing contamination from air exposure.
Solution Approach 2:
A sealed connection mechanism acts as an intermediary between the refilling device and dispenser during material transfer. This sealed interface prevents air and contaminants from contacting the material while enabling efficient pressure-driven flow, and includes valves to control the filling process and prevent spillage.
4Productivity
If industrial dispenser filling machines are used, then pressurized filling is achieved, but device size and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the essential pressurized filling function from complex industrial machines and implements it in a simplified, portable refilling device. By removing unnecessary industrial features and retaining only the core pressure-driven filling mechanism, the system achieves efficient refilling in a compact form factor suitable for personal use.
Solution Approach 2:
The refilling device is designed to be manually operated without requiring electrical power or complex control systems. The user simply connects the dispenser to the refilling device and activates the pressure mechanism, allowing the system to perform the filling function autonomously with minimal user intervention.
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
Enables safer, more efficient, and longer-term use of dispensers with reduced packaging waste, allowing for easy refilling and continuous dispensing of viscous materials like liquids, foams, and gels without exposing them to air.
Implementation Method 1
an elastic sleeve is utilized to impart pressure to a bag of dispensable material positioned within the sleeve
Implementation Method 2
Pressure is often required to fill a dispenser with viscous materials from a filling machine
Data Source
AI summary
A kit includes a refillable dispenser that is propellant-free and a filling device that is pressurized and propellant-free. An outlet of the filling device is configured to disengageably connect to an inlet of the refillable dispenser, and wherein connection between the inlet and the outlet establishes fluid communication between the filling device and the refillable dispenser and generates a unidirectional flow of material from the filling device to the refillable dispenser.