Segmented Pull-Off Closure for Manual Container Opening
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing container closures, such as crown caps and tear-off closures, require additional tools or materials to facilitate safe opening, and often necessitate the use of detaching products to prevent seal deformation during opening, which increases costs and complexity.
Innovation Solution
A pull-off closure design featuring an upper shell with internally formed lines of weakness and a gripping element made of plastic, allowing for easier manual opening without the need for detaching materials, as the lines of weakness reduce the mechanical seal's impact during capping and facilitate the separation of the seal from the shell.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a crown cap with continuous collar is used, then the closure structure is simple and effective, but additional tools are required for opening and the cap cannot be safely removed by hand
Solution Approach 1:
The collar is segmented into discrete teeth (19 teeth) instead of being continuous, allowing the cap to be manually opened by twisting and breaking the teeth sequentially. This segmentation enables hand operation without additional tools while maintaining structural integrity during capping.
Solution Approach 2:
The teeth are pre-formed with a specific geometry that allows them to break away in a controlled manner during manual opening. The preliminary shaping of the teeth creates inherent weakness points that facilitate easy breaking during the opening process, enabling safe hand removal.
2Ease of operation
If the number of teeth is increased to enable twist-off opening, then manual opening becomes possible, but the risk of user injury increases during opening and rotation
Solution Approach 1:
The tooth geometry parameters are optimized to balance the number of teeth (19) with their individual strength characteristics. The teeth are designed with specific dimensions and shapes that allow controlled breaking at lower forces, reducing the risk of injury while enabling twist-off opening functionality.
3Ease of operation
If a tear-off closure with shell and collar is used, then manual opening is facilitated, but detaching materials are required to prevent seal deformation during opening
Solution Approach 1:
The collar is segmented into discrete teeth that break away sequentially during opening, eliminating the need for a continuous collar that would require detaching materials. The segmented structure allows the seal to detach cleanly with the cap body without deforming the bottle neck or seal.
Solution Approach 2:
The harmful element (continuous collar requiring detaching materials) is extracted and replaced with a segmented tooth structure that inherently facilitates clean separation without additional materials or complex mechanisms.
4Ease of manufacture
If detaching materials are applied to the shell inner surface, then seal detachment during opening is facilitated, but production costs and process time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The detaching material step is completely extracted from the manufacturing process. The segmented tooth design inherently provides the detachment function through its geometry, eliminating the need for additional material application steps and associated costs.
Solution Approach 2:
The closure structure itself provides the detachment function through its segmented tooth geometry. The teeth are designed to break away cleanly during opening, making the system self-sufficient without requiring external detaching materials or additional manufacturing steps.
Data Source
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AI summary
Described is a pull-off closure for containers having an opening whose end portion defines an annular collar projecting externally; the closure comprising: - an upper portion (1) shaped in the form of a shell having an upper face (2) from which extends a collar (3), which can be turned over to abut on the annular collar of the container, during capping of the container, the upper face (2) and the collar (3) forming, at their connection, an annular edge (4); - lines of weakness (5) formed on the upper face (2) and on the collar (3) forming an opening strip (6) which extends in a tab (7) extending beyond the collar (3); - a gripping element (8) which can be associated with the tab (7), wherein the lines of weakness (5) extend on the collar (3) outside the annular edge (4).