Product container including a product discharge device and method of use
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing product containers face challenges in balancing the need to prevent accidental seal opening while ensuring easy and reliable user access, without requiring excessive force or damaging the container.
Innovation Solution
A product container with a spout unit that rotates from a first position to an operational position, mechanically transmitting this motion to open a seal unit, allowing easy and reliable product discharge while protecting the contents from environmental threats.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the seal unit is made strong and secure to prevent accidental opening, then reliability is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The seal unit transitions from a static sealed state to a dynamic opened state through rotational movement of the spout unit. The seal is designed to be dynamically opened by user rotation rather than requiring static force application, resolving the contradiction between strong sealing and easy opening.
Solution Approach 2:
The spout unit acts as an intermediary mechanism between the user and the seal unit. By rotating the spout unit, the user indirectly opens the seal without directly applying force to the seal itself, making the opening process easier while maintaining seal integrity during transport.
2Productivity
If the spout unit extends further outwardly to enable product spouting at distance, then productivity is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The spout unit is designed to be rotatable between a retracted position (for compact transport) and an extended operational position (for product discharge). This dynamic positioning allows the spout to extend further when needed without permanently increasing device complexity or compromising transport compactness.
3Ease of operation
If the seal unit is easily accessible by the user, then ease of operation is improved, but reliability deteriorates due to higher risk of accidental opening
Solution Approach 1:
The spout unit serves as an intermediary that the user interacts with to open the seal. This indirect access mechanism allows the seal to be easily opened on demand while protecting it from accidental opening, as the user must intentionally rotate the spout unit to break the seal.
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 solution enables efficient, safe, and reliable product discharge with minimal user effort, providing protection against bacteria and ensuring compact transport and easy operation.
Implementation Method 1
the discharge device is configured such that the seal unit can be brought from the sealed state to the opened state by rotating the spout unit from the first position to the operational position
Data Source
AI summary
A product container includes a product discharge device for releasing product from the container, the discharge device including a spout unit for discharge. The spout unit is rotatable, about a spout rotation axis, from a first position to an operational position. The spout unit preferably includes a handle for rotation from the first to the operational position, the handle preferably extending substantially radially outwardly from the axis; and a seal unit configured to enter an opened state, from a sealed state. In the latter, the seal unit is configured to substantially airtightly close off a flowthrough channel of the discharge device, and, in the former, the seal unit is configured to allow flow through the flowthrough channel. The discharge device is configured such that the seal unit can be brought from the sealed to the opened state by rotating the spout unit from the first to the operational position.