Rotating Coupling-Ring Spout for Attached Lid Retention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing spouts for sealed packages of pourable products face issues with lid detachment leading to potential loss or littering, and there is a need for an improved design that enhances user experience and ease of use.
Innovation Solution
A spout design featuring a lid hinged to a coupling ring, allowing controlled rotation and movement between closing, intermediate, and open configurations, with a cutter mechanism integrated to pierce the pour opening surface, ensuring the lid remains attached and operation is intuitive.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the lid is completely detached from the collar, then the lid can be easily removed and replaced, but the lid may be lost or littered by irresponsible users
Solution Approach 1:
The lid assembly is segmented into multiple components: the lid itself, the coupling ring, and the collar. The coupling ring acts as an intermediary element that connects the lid to the collar, allowing the lid to be easily removed and replaced while preventing complete detachment and loss. This segmentation enables independent movement of each component while maintaining overall system integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The coupling ring serves as an intermediary element between the lid and the collar. It provides a controlled connection mechanism that allows the lid to be attached and detached from the collar in a controlled manner, preventing complete separation and loss while maintaining ease of operation. The coupling ring mediates the interaction between the lid and collar, enabling easy replacement without complete detachment.
2Ease of operation
If the spout design includes a hinged lid with rotation mechanism, then the operation becomes more intuitive and user-friendly, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The lid is designed with a hinge mechanism that allows it to rotate between different positions (closing, intermediate, and open configurations). This dynamic design enables intuitive operation where the lid can be easily opened and closed by simple rotational movement, while the hinge provides controlled motion. The dynamic nature of the hinge allows the lid to move freely within a defined range while maintaining connection to the collar.
Solution Approach 2:
The hinge mechanism is integrated into the coupling ring structure, merging the rotation function with the connection function. This combination reduces the need for separate complex mechanisms while providing both the intuitive rotational operation and the secure connection functionality in a unified structure.
Data Source
AI summary
A spout for a container filled with pourable product includes a collar having a pouring outlet to allow out-pouring of the product and a lid assembly having a coupling ring rotatably arranged around the collar and a lid hinged to the coupling ring and angularly movable around a hinge axis. The lid is controllable between a closing configuration, an open configuration and an intermediate configuration. An interaction device is partially associated to the collar and to the lid, and is configured such that control of the lid from the closing configuration to the intermediate configuration is possible only by rotation of the lid and the coupling ring around a rotation axis and such that control of the lid from the intermediate configuration to the closing configuration is possible by a sole angular movement of the lid around the hinge axis from the intermediate angular position to the closing angular position.