Rotating Glass Base Structure for Spill-Resistant Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Beverage containers with uneven bases tend to wobble and spill when rotated, and existing solutions like caps and heavier materials do not provide a stable, rotatable, and versatile option that prevents tipping or spilling.
Innovation Solution
A glass design featuring a base with a central axis feature and lateral features that allow it to rest on the central axis when flat and contact the surface when tilted, combined with aeration features on the container wall for stability and aeration, enabling rotation without spilling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If beverage containers have uneven bases to enable rotation, then the container can be made to wobble and rotate, but the container will tip and spill contents when rotated at too much velocity or speed
Solution Approach 1:
The base is segmented into two distinct features: a central axis feature (protrusion) and a lateral feature (rim or edge). This segmentation allows the container to interact with the supporting surface in two different ways - the central axis feature enables rotation when the container is upright, while the lateral feature provides stability when tilted, preventing spills during rotation operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The container base dynamically transitions between two stable states: resting on the central axis feature during normal upright rotation, and resting on the lateral feature when tilted. This dynamic behavior allows the container to adapt its stability characteristics based on its orientation, enabling safe rotation at higher velocities while preventing tipping-induced spills.
2Reliability
If heavier materials are used to mitigate spilling, then the container becomes more stable, but the container loses elegance and versatility
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of uniformly increasing the weight of the entire container, the invention applies mass concentration locally at the base through the central axis feature and lateral feature geometry. This localized mass distribution provides the necessary stability for spill prevention during rotation while maintaining the overall elegance and versatility of the container design, avoiding the need for heavier materials throughout.
Data Source
AI summary
Aspects of the present invention comprise a container that is stably rotatable. In embodiments, a container may rotate about a central axis, wherein the container comprises at least one feature at the central axis that facilitate rotation and at least one other lateral feature that provides stability to the container to reduce the occurrence of tipping or spilling while the container is moving.