Rotatable Cap Sealable Pourer for Liquids
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing pourers for liquids, particularly those used with alcoholic beverages, fail to effectively seal both the pouring nozzle and air tube, leading to issues with insect entry and disrupted liquid flow, which is problematic for bartenders who need efficient dispensing.
Innovation Solution
A sealable pourer design featuring a hollow cone-shaped nozzle with a rotatable cap that aligns and seals both the liquid and air tube orifices, allowing for controlled pouring by rotating the cap between sealed and open positions, utilizing a cap with orifices matching the nozzle and air tube openings and incorporating sealing materials like o-rings for tight closure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the pourer is left open for efficient dispensing, then productivity is improved, but insects can enter the bottle and contaminate the beverage
Solution Approach 1:
The cap is designed to be rotatable between a closed position (when the bottle is upright) and an open position (when the bottle is tilted for dispensing). This dynamic positioning allows the pourer to automatically seal when not in use, preventing insect entry, while remaining accessible during dispensing operations to maintain productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The cap automatically returns to the closed sealing position after dispensing by utilizing gravity and the bottle's upright orientation. This preliminary action of automatic sealing occurs immediately after the dispensing action, ensuring the bottle is sealed before insects can be attracted by residual beverage exposure.
2Reliability
If the air tube opening is placed inside the nozzle tube for sealing, then reliability of sealing is improved, but liquid flow may be disrupted when significant amount of beverage is dispensed
Solution Approach 1:
The air tube opening is separated from the nozzle tube and positioned externally on the cap. This segmentation allows the air tube opening to be independently sealed by the cap structure without interfering with the nozzle tube's liquid flow path, thereby maintaining both sealing reliability and dispensing speed.
Solution Approach 2:
The air tube is positioned in a different spatial dimension (external to the nozzle tube) rather than inside it. The cap seals this external opening through a separate sealing surface, creating an independent sealing plane that does not obstruct the liquid flow through the nozzle tube during dispensing operations.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If a lid is placed on the nozzle for sealing, then object-generated harmful factors are reduced, but the air tube sealing is compromised and liquid flow is disrupted
Solution Approach 1:
The cap is designed with separate sealing functions for the nozzle tube opening and the air tube opening. The internal hollow of the cap seals the nozzle tube, while a distinct second cap orifice seals the air tube opening. This segmentation ensures both openings are reliably sealed without interfering with each other's function.
Solution Approach 2:
The cap acts as an intermediary structure that provides dedicated sealing surfaces for both the nozzle tube and air tube. The first cap orifice seals the nozzle tube opening, while the second cap orifice specifically seals the air tube opening, ensuring comprehensive sealing of both pathways without disrupting liquid flow.
Data Source
AI summary
A sealable pourer for mounting on a bottle is provided. The sealable pourer includes a cap to ensure that the pouring nozzle and air tube outlet are sealed, or otherwise closed, when in a first position of the cap and allow free flow of the liquid content of the bottle when in a second position. In one embodiment, the cap is rotated about a symmetry axis of the nozzle to achieve sealing of both the air passage and the pouring nozzle.