Resealable Closure With Transparent Overcap and Foil Seal
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing resealable closures with double-sided foil face challenges in effective positioning during assembly, maintaining a secure primary and secondary seal, and providing tamper evidence, especially when using existing neck profiles, which can lead to manufacturing and usage issues due to the complexity of fitting annular foils and ensuring consistent contact.
Innovation Solution
A closure design featuring a spout with an annular flange and depending valve, where the overcap has a side wall and depending valve to securely hold the spout, allowing for central location and easy foil placement, using induction heat sealing or other methods, and incorporating a transparent overcap for visible tamper evidence, eliminating the need for threads and enhancing reseal integrity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If an annular foil is fitted to a base of the spout using existing neck profiles, then compatibility with existing bottles is maintained, but positioning and fitting complexity increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a double-sided foil as an intermediary element between the spout flange and the container rim. This foil acts as a mediator that simplifies the sealing process by providing a pre-formed sealing surface that can be easily positioned and welded, eliminating the complexity of fitting annular foils directly to the spout base while maintaining compatibility with existing neck profiles.
Solution Approach 2:
The double-sided foil is pre-positioned on the spout flange before assembly with the container. This preliminary action ensures correct positioning and orientation of the sealing surface, eliminating positioning complexity during final assembly and ensuring consistent contact with the container rim for reliable sealing.
2Reliability
If the spout and overcap are sealed together using a sealing medium in a space between co-operating profiles, then a secure secondary seal is achieved, but the sealing space must not communicate with the bottle opening which complicates the design
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the sealing function into two distinct segments: a primary seal using double-sided foil between the spout flange and container rim, and a secondary seal using a sealing medium in a dedicated space between co-operating profiles of the spout and overcap. This segmentation allows each sealing mechanism to be optimized independently, with the secondary seal providing enhanced reliability without compromising the simplicity of the primary sealing arrangement.
3Ease of operation
If a pull-ring is attached to a removable central part of the spout to tear the foil for opening, then easy opening is achieved, but tamper evidence visibility is reduced compared to transparent membrane arrangements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates a frangible region with a different color or visual property compared to the surrounding membrane. This color differentiation provides clear visual tamper evidence when the frangible region breaks or separates during opening, maintaining visibility while allowing easy opening through the pull-ring mechanism that tears the foil.
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
This design ensures effective sealing, centralization of the spout, and visible tamper evidence without requiring foil removal, addressing manufacturing and usage complexities while maintaining compatibility with existing neck profiles and providing a reliable reseal.
Implementation Method 1
welding of the foil to the container mouth creates the primary ex-factory seal... by means of an induction heat sealing double-sided foil
Data Source
AI summary
A closure (2) comprising a solid colour spout (6) and a transparent overcap (4) is adapted to be sealed to a container neck (50) by means of a double-sided foil (8). The overcap (4) has a depending valve (24), which engages with the spout (6) to hold these components together prior to assembly to the container. The spout (6) has a flange (10) adapted to seat on a rim (54) of the container neck and an annular wall (28) that is received within the container neck (50). The foil (8) is welded to the flange (10) and is also used to weld the closure (2) to a rim (54) of a container neck of standard threaded design. The overcap (4) can screw to an external thread on the container neck. The primary ex-factory seal is provided by welding the assembled closure to the neck. The secondary seal is provided by the engagement of the overcap valve (24) with the spout (6). The invention discloses an improved method of assembly.