Retort Closure With Air Ejection Openings
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing container closures trap excess product or debris between the closure and the container neck, making it difficult to remove and potentially leading to unsanitary conditions, as this residue is hidden and may spoil or harden.
Innovation Solution
A closure design with openings on the end wall that allows pressurized air to be forced through, expelling any remaining product or debris from between the closure and the container neck, while maintaining a hermetic seal with an induction liner that adheres to the container mouth.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the closure is sealed tightly against the container mouth to maintain hermetic seal, then product protection is improved, but excess product becomes trapped and difficult to remove
Solution Approach 1:
The closure is segmented into functional zones: a sealing zone with the induction liner that maintains hermetic seal, and a debris ejection zone with the air passage and opening that allows excess product removal. This segmentation allows simultaneous achievement of tight sealing and easy cleaning by directing air flow through specific pathways that bypass the seal interface.
Solution Approach 2:
An air passage acts as an intermediary mechanism between the interior and exterior of the closure. This passage provides a dedicated pathway for expelling excess product without compromising the hermetic seal at the mouth interface, effectively mediating between the conflicting requirements of sealing integrity and debris removal.
2Ease of manufacture
If the closure structure is simplified without openings, then manufacturing is easier, but product or debris accumulates underneath creating unsanitary conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The closure incorporates a controlled porous feature in the form of an opening in the end wall, which allows selective passage of air and debris. This controlled porosity enables debris ejection functionality while maintaining overall structural simplicity and manufacturability, as the opening is a straightforward feature to incorporate into molded closures.
3Ease of operation
If openings are added to the end wall for debris ejection, then cleaning effectiveness is improved, but the closure structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The debris ejection functionality is extracted as a separate, dedicated feature (opening in the end wall) rather than being integrated into the sealing mechanism. This extraction allows the opening to be implemented as a simple, isolated geometric feature that adds minimal complexity to the overall closure structure while effectively addressing the cleaning requirement.
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
Effectively removes excess product or debris from underneath the closure, ensuring a clean and hygienic appearance without compromising the hermetic seal, allowing for easy cleaning and maintaining product safety.
Implementation Method 1
an induction liner substantially covering the inner surface and configured to detach from the inner surface to hermetically seal the mouth of the receptacle when the closure is coupled to the receptacle and adequate heat is applied to the induction liner
Data Source
AI summary
A method of sealing a container includes filling a receptacle with dispensable contents, coupling a closure to the receptacle to cover an open mouth of the receptacle, sealing the open mouth with a liner; engaging a pressure source to a sealing rib on a top face of the closure; and using a pressure source to force air through the openings and an air passage formed between a skirt of the closure and a neck of the receptacle.