Self-filling, self-sealing container system
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing container systems are inefficient for removing materials from difficult-to-access spaces without requiring significant force, large spaces, or specialized tools like pumps or siphons, and lack a durable, scalable, cost-effective, and easy-to-transport solution.
Innovation Solution
A self-filling, self-sealing container system with strategically arranged holes and a seal assembly that opens under inward pressure and closes under outward pressure, allowing material to enter and remain captured without the need for pumps or scoops, while maintaining structural integrity and being easy to repair and transport.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a bucket is used to remove material from difficult-to-access spaces, then material can be captured, but significant force is required to submerge the bucket while it remains upright
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of filling the container from the top as with traditional buckets, this invention fills the container from the bottom by inverting the filling direction. The container is positioned upright and material flows upward through holes in the bottom, eliminating the need to tip or submerge the container sideways.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses flexible seal elements that can deform under pressure to open and close the holes in the container bottom. These flexible seals allow the container to be submerged upright without requiring significant force, as the seals naturally open under water pressure to allow filling.
2Productivity
If a container with holes is used to capture material, then material flow is improved, but structural integrity is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The container bottom is designed with localized holes in specific patterns rather than being entirely open. This allows material flow through the holes while maintaining the overall structural integrity of the container bottom, as most of the bottom surface remains intact.
Solution Approach 2:
The container system combines different materials with complementary properties: the container structure uses durable materials for strength, while the seal elements use flexible materials that allow opening/closing. This composite approach enables both structural integrity and material flow.
3Reliability
If a seal assembly is added to enable self-sealing, then material capture is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The seal assembly is designed to automatically open and close based on pressure differential without external control. When the container is submerged, inward pressure opens the seals to allow filling; when lifted, outward pressure closes the seals to retain material. This self-actuating mechanism eliminates complex control systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The flexible seal elements act as intermediaries between the internal and external environments, responding to pressure changes to control material flow. These seals mediate the opening and closing action, simplifying the overall system by using a passive mechanical response rather than active control.
4Ease of manufacture
If the container is designed for easy repair and transport, then cost-effectiveness is improved, but material capture capability may be reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The container system is divided into separable components: the main container body and the seal assemblies. The seal assemblies can be removed and replaced independently if needed, allowing easy repair without replacing the entire container. This modular design maintains material capture efficiency while improving repairability.
Solution Approach 2:
The seal elements are designed as simple, inexpensive components that can be easily replaced if worn. Using simple rubber or plastic seals rather than complex mechanical valves keeps the system cost-effective while maintaining effective material capture through the seal opening/closing mechanism.
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
Enables easy and efficient material capture from hard-to-reach spaces without additional equipment, ensuring durability, cost-effectiveness, and ease of use, with the ability to be used with or without pumps or siphons for material removal.
Implementation Method 1
Upon sufficient inward pressure exerted by materials located outside of the container system, at least one element of the seal assembly is displaced to an unsealed position... When materials are no longer entering the interior cavity, sufficient outward pressure of the materials within the interior cavity causes the seal assembly to return to a sealed position
Data Source
AI summary
A container system that includes a container element with a hole or series of holes that are sealed by at least one seal assembly with at least one seal element. When the container system is placed into material to be captured, the seal element of the seal assembly is displaced from the holes when material exerts inward pressure on the seals, allowing the container system to self-fill with material. Once the desired amount of material is captured, the container system is removed and captured material exerts outward pressure on the seal assembly, causing the seal element to close the holes and the container system to self-seal.