Reusable Pour Spout with Rotating Flange
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
There is a lack of reusable devices that can open and reseal containers for granular and liquid materials effectively, particularly for perishable goods, ensuring an airtight and watertight seal to maintain freshness, as existing solutions often fail to provide a secure seal or use materials that can contaminate the contents.
Innovation Solution
A pour spout system with a port component featuring a tubular end, flange, and through bore, allowing attachment to various containers, with a hole-cutting structure for piercing and forming a hole, a nut for trapping the container wall, and a cap for sealing, which can be adjusted for pouring and reused.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If traditional cutting or ripping methods are used to open containers, then access to contents is achieved, but the container cannot be effectively resealed and material freshness is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The opening mechanism is divided into two functional parts: a piercing element that creates an initial hole and a rotating flange that enlarges it to a controlled diameter. This segmentation allows the container to be opened easily while maintaining the ability to reseal by reversing the rotation process.
Solution Approach 2:
The flange is designed to rotate during installation and removal, dynamically changing the size of the opening. When rotated one way, it enlarges the hole for access; when rotated back, it closes the hole to seal the container. This dynamic mechanism enables repeated opening and closing while maintaining seal integrity.
2Reliability
If heat-sealing devices are used to reseal bags, then an airtight seal is achieved, but the bag is permanently sealed and cannot be reopened
Solution Approach 1:
The rotating flange mechanism provides a dynamic sealing solution that can be repeatedly opened and closed. Unlike permanent heat-sealing, the flange can be rotated to open the container whenever needed, then rotated back to reseal, enabling multiple use cycles while maintaining reliable sealing.
Solution Approach 2:
The device enables the user to easily perform both opening and sealing operations without requiring external equipment like heat-sealers. The self-contained rotating flange mechanism allows the container to be serviced (opened and closed) repeatedly by the end user without permanent modification.
3Ease of manufacture
If food is decanted into reusable containers, then storage is improved, but contamination from plastic leaching or heavy metals may occur
Solution Approach 1:
The pour spout device acts as an intermediary tool that allows transfer of materials without requiring permanent decanting into potentially contaminating containers. The original packaging serves as the primary storage vessel, and the device enables controlled dispensing while maintaining the integrity of both the original container and the material.
Solution Approach 2:
The device is designed to work with various container types and materials (granular, powdered, liquid) without requiring material-specific containers. This universal approach eliminates the need for multiple specialized storage containers that may have material compatibility issues.
4Reliability
If the original container is used to store material, then freshness is maintained, but the container cannot be conveniently opened and closed repeatedly
Solution Approach 1:
The rotating flange provides a dynamic opening mechanism that can be easily manipulated to open and close the container. The rotation action naturally enlarges the opening when needed and closes it when not in use, maintaining freshness while providing convenient repeated access without compromising the original container's protective function.
Data Source
AI summary
A reusable pour spout system that may be attached to different container types to dispense different substances, including course and fine granular materials and liquids. A port component has a proximal tubular end and a flange that is larger than the tubular end. The flange further includes a hole-cutting structure adapted to pierce the wall of a container, with a cutting edge adapted to form a hole in the container when the port component is rotated by a user after piercing. This positions the flange within the container with the tubular end exposed to receive a nut that traps the wall of the container between the nut and the flange. A cap is provided to seal off the port. The tubular end of the port component, the nut, and the cap may all be threaded. Different structures to enhance cutting and sealing are disclosed along with preferred method steps.