Removable Container Lid With Mixing Chamber And Desiccant Barrier
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current container assemblies for fruit juice face challenges in maintaining a shelf-stable state, often requiring harmful additives that compromise the nutritional benefits of fruit juice, as they typically come in cans or bottles that are difficult to stabilize effectively.
Innovation Solution
A container assembly with a removable lid that includes a coupling structure for secure attachment to the container, allowing for easy unloading and mixing of a substance like fruit powder with the beverage or food, featuring a sealable opening and a spout for convenient use, enabling healthier and tastier mixed drinks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Duration of action of stationary object
If fruit juice is provided in cans or bottles to maintain shelf stability, then the beverage can be stored for extended periods, but harmful additives must be added to stabilize the fruit juice, compromising its nutritional benefits
Solution Approach 1:
The invention divides the fruit juice product into two separate components: a shelf-stable fruit powder concentrate and a beverage container. The fruit powder is processed and sealed in a container with a desiccant barrier to prevent moisture ingress, allowing long-term storage without additives. When ready to consume, the powder is mixed with fresh beverage in the container. This segmentation eliminates the need for harmful stabilizers in the stored portion while maintaining nutritional integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
A desiccant barrier layer is introduced as an intermediary between the fruit powder and the external environment (moisture). This barrier layer prevents moisture from reaching the fruit powder during storage, maintaining shelf stability without requiring chemical preservatives or additives. The desiccant acts as a protective mediator that enables long-term storage while preserving the natural composition of the fruit powder.
2Duration of action of stationary object
If fruit juice is stabilized with additives to extend shelf life, then the beverage can be stored longer, but the nutritional benefits and healthfulness of the fruit juice are compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The fruit juice system is segmented into a dehydrated powder form for storage and a fresh liquid component for consumption. The powder is processed to remove moisture (the cause of degradation) and sealed with a desiccant barrier, enabling long-term storage without additives. This segmentation allows the nutritional components to remain intact during storage while eliminating the need for stabilizing additives that would compromise reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The physical state of the fruit juice is changed from liquid to powdered form through dehydration. This parameter change (removing water content) fundamentally alters the stability characteristics, allowing the product to be stored for extended periods without degradation or additive intervention. The powdered form with desiccant protection maintains nutritional integrity while achieving the desired shelf life.
3Ease of operation
If a removable lid with coupling structure is used to allow mixing of fruit powder with beverage, then convenience and ease of operation are improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The lid is designed to merge multiple functions into a single component: it serves as the closure for the beverage container, the mixing chamber for combining fruit powder and beverage, and the interface for adding the powder. The coupling structure integrates the lid to the container body, creating a unified system that simplifies operation despite the added structural elements. Users simply add powder to the lid, secure it, and mix—no separate mixing device needed.
Data Source
AI summary
This disclosure provides a novel container lid and a container assembly comprising a beverage or food container and a container lid. The disclosed container lid or container assembly allows the substance in the container lid to be mixed with beverage or food contained in the beverage or food container conveniently and effectively. In addition, the container lid can have a shape adapted for easy stacking in boxes for shipping and on shelves for display to a consumer.