Resealable Beverage Can Cap With Cam-Driven Tear Panel
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Solution Overview
Problem
Beverage cans with 'stay on' tabs are not resealable, leading to loss of carbonation and exposure to foreign materials, and require different materials for the lid and tab, complicating recycling and increasing production costs and waste.
Innovation Solution
A beverage can design with a cam mechanism that converts rotational motion into linear motion to open and reseal the container, using the same aluminum alloy for the can and lid, and a plastic cap that can be reused, allowing for resealing without the need for additional materials or rivets.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If a stay on tab is used to prevent litter and sharp edges, then consumer safety is improved, but the container becomes non-res sealable and requires different materials for the lid and tab
Solution Approach 1:
The opening mechanism is segmented into a frangible score line that creates a hinged flap, allowing the tab to remain on the can while still enabling opening and resealing. This segmentation permits the tab to stay attached (preventing litter) while the hinged flap can be manipulated to open and close the opening (enabling resealability).
Solution Approach 2:
The hinged flap is designed to be dynamic rather than fixed - it can be pulled to open the can and then manipulated back to seal the opening. This dynamic behavior allows the same structure to serve both opening and sealing functions, resolving the contradiction between staying on and resealability.
2Strength
If different materials are used for the lid and tab to ensure strength, then structural integrity is improved, but recycling complexity increases and production costs rise
Solution Approach 1:
The invention uses the same aluminum alloy for both the can body and the lid, eliminating the need for different materials to achieve structural integrity. The hinged flap structure provides the necessary strength through its design rather than through material differentiation, thereby simplifying recycling and reducing production costs.
3Ease of operation
If a pull tab is used to open the can, then ease of operation is improved, but the tab becomes disposable waste requiring proper disposal
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of discarding the tab after use, the invention designs it to remain attached to the can as a permanent feature. The hinged flap structure allows the tab to be used for opening and then reused for sealing, eliminating waste and the need for proper disposal while maintaining ease of operation.
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
The design enables resealable beverage containers that preserve carbonation, reduce waste, and facilitate recycling by using a single aluminum alloy, while also providing a cost-effective and efficient manufacturing process.
Implementation Method 1
The cam surfaces cooperate with detents formed in the cylindrical sidewall of the socket, so that when the cap is twisted or rotated through a sufficient number of radians, or angle of motion, the cam surfaces translate rotational motion into linear motion, driving the cap downwardly into the socket
Data Source
AI summary
Resealable beverage containers include caps that are twisted to impart translational motion of the cap to push a tear panel into the container. Cam elements are used to convert rotational movement to translational movement. The caps are preferably made of molded plastic material, and include cam elements formed on the sidewalls of the caps that engage cam followers or projections formed on the inner cylindrical surface of a socket which is formed in the lid of the beverage container. Methods of manufacturing resealable beverage containers avoid the need to form rivets and to attach pull tabs, thus saving costs and making the beverage containers more easily recycled.