Secure Push-On Bottle Cap With Snap-Flange Retention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing secure cap technologies for bottles, such as tamper-proof caps, either prevent reattachment or are difficult to remove, leading to usability issues when consumers inadvertently remove the cap, potentially rendering the bottle unusable or causing leakage.
Innovation Solution
A bottle with a secure push-on cap featuring engaging shoulders on retaining flanges and protrusions/recesses that snap into place to prevent removal, combined with a mechanism that limits rotation and includes an auxiliary flange to enhance retention, making it difficult for an average person to remove the cap without significant force, and designed to break or deform upon excessive force application.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a tamper-proof cap with a frangible member is used to prevent reattachment, then security against unauthorized refilling is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates because the cap can be readily removed by users who wish to smell or check contents
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the retention mechanism from a frangible member that breaks upon removal to retaining flanges with engaging shoulders that require significant force to disengage. The retaining flanges are designed with elastic deflection characteristics, transforming the removal mechanism from simple breaking to forceful deformation, thereby increasing removal difficulty while maintaining security.
2Reliability
If a screw-on cap with ratchet teeth is used to prevent removal, then security against accidental removal is improved, but device complexity increases due to the requirement for screw threads and ratchet mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and eliminates the complex screw thread and ratchet tooth mechanisms from the cap design. Instead, it uses a simpler retaining flange structure with engaging shoulders that provides comparable security against accidental removal without requiring threaded engagement or ratchet mechanisms, thereby reducing device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The retaining flanges are designed with elastic flexibility, allowing them to deflect during engagement and provide a secure locking action through elastic recovery. This flexible design replaces rigid mechanical mechanisms like screws and ratchets, achieving secure retention with a simpler, more elegant structure.
3Reliability
If a cap with retaining flanges that deflect and snap back is used to prevent removal, then security against unauthorized refilling is improved, but ease of manufacture deteriorates due to the precision required for engaging shoulders
Solution Approach 1:
The retaining flanges are designed with asymmetric profiles featuring specific engaging shoulders at predetermined positions. This asymmetric geometry ensures proper alignment and engagement between the cap and bottle neck, providing secure retention while being manufacturable using standard molding techniques. The asymmetric design guides the assembly process and ensures reliable engagement without requiring excessive precision.
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 cap is securely retained on the bottle, preventing accidental removal and ensuring the bottle remains usable, while resisting removal attempts by most users, with the mechanism robust enough to withstand significant force before compromising functionality.
Implementation Method 1
the first and second retaining flanges deflect relatively to one another as they pass and snap back into place once they have passed
Implementation Method 2
one of the bottle neck and cap having a protrusion which fits into a complimentary recess on the other of the bottle neck and cap to substantially prevent relative rotation
Implementation Method 3
the cap having an outlet with a valve for controlling flow through the outlet
Data Source
Figure 1~3
Figure 4~6
Figure 7A~7C
AI summary
A bottle (1) with a secure cap (7), comprising a bottle having an open neck (2) and a first retaining flange (3) around at least a portion of the neck; and a push-on cap (7) fitted over the neck (2), the cap having an outlet with a valve (32) for controlling flow through the outlet and a second retaining flange (9) positioned so that, upon placement of the cap (7) on the bottle (1), the first and second retaining flanges (3,9) deflect relatively to one another as they pass and snap back into place once they have passed with a shoulder (41) of the first retaining flange engaging a shoulder (131) on the second retaining flange to hold the cap securely on the bottle.