Aluminum Roll-On Container With Interference-Fit Roller Sphere
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Solution Overview
Problem
Plastic roll-on containers are difficult to recycle, lead to environmental pollution, and have limited recyclability, as they phase-separate when mixed and degrade slowly, causing structural weaknesses and harm to the environment.
Innovation Solution
A recyclable metal roll-on container made from aluminum or aluminum alloys with a roller sphere, where the roller sphere is retained within the container through a specific dimensional relationship and interference fit, allowing for infinite recycling without adding new materials, and a cap to prevent evaporation and spilling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If plastic materials are used to make roll-on containers, then the containers are cheap to manufacture, resistant to chemicals, and light in weight, but the containers are difficult to recycle and cause environmental pollution
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material parameter from plastic to aluminum, transforming the container material to achieve infinite recyclability and environmental compatibility while maintaining manufacturing feasibility through impact extrusion processes
Solution Approach 2:
The patent enables full recovery and infinite recycling of aluminum material without degradation, unlike plastic which can only be recycled 2-3 times before quality degradation, thereby eliminating environmental pollution from discarded containers
2Productivity
If different types of plastic are mixed for recycling, then recycling process is simplified, but the resulting material exhibits phase-separation and structural weakness
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a single material type (aluminum) for the entire container, ensuring homogeneous composition that can be recycled indefinitely without phase-separation or structural degradation, eliminating the need to mix different plastic types
3Weight of moving object
If plastic containers are used, then transportation costs are reduced due to light weight, but the containers take hundreds of years to degrade
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material parameter from plastic to aluminum, accepting increased weight in exchange for transforming the degradation time from hundreds of years to infinite recyclability, thereby resolving the environmental persistence problem
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 aluminum roll-on container enables infinite recyclability, maintains product integrity, and reduces environmental impact by using a material that does not phase-separate, thus addressing the limitations of plastic containers while ensuring effective product application.
Implementation Method 1
An outer diameter of the roller sphere is greater than a diameter of the upper opening but less than the maximum inner diameter of the chamber. Thus, the roller sphere is retained within the container
Implementation Method 2
the arcuate sidewall springs back after the diameter of the roller sphere passes the upper opening to retainer the roller sphere in the container
Data Source
AI summary
An aluminum roll-on container, and a method of manufacturing the same, retains a roller sphere for applying a product onto an external surface. The roller sphere can both rotate and move within the container, and a chamber is formed between the container and the roller sphere. In a first position of the roller sphere, the chamber forms a continuous volume with the interior volume of the container such that the chamber receives a product stored in the container volume. Then, in a second position, the chamber forms a continuous volume with the external environment such that rotation of the roller sphere transfers the product from the chamber to an external surface. A relationship between the roller sphere and an upper opening of the container allows the roller sphere to be pressed into the container and then retained in the container.