Flexible foodstuff container with closure
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing sealable containers for foodstuffs made of silicone lack a reliable and user-friendly mechanism for maintaining a sealed state while allowing easy access and flexibility in configuration, such as transitioning between open and closed positions without external clips or clasps.
Innovation Solution
A sealable container design featuring a base and sides made of silicone with a zipper-like seal mechanism, where the zipper members engage and disengage to seal and open the mouth, providing sufficient rigidity for standing and flexibility for deformation between configurations, and can be integrally formed or assembled using adhesives for secure closure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the container is made entirely flexible to allow easy sealing and deformation, then ease of operation and flexibility are improved, but the ability to stand freely and maintain shape deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The container employs different degrees of flexibility in different regions: the base and lower sides are made with higher silicone content (e.g., 30-40 parts by weight) to provide rigidity and free-standing capability, while the upper sides and mouth region use lower silicone content (e.g., 10-20 parts by weight) to enable easy deformation and sealing operations. This spatial variation in material properties resolves the contradiction between standing stability and sealing flexibility.
2Ease of operation
If the container wall is made thin and flexible to allow easy deformation for sealing, then ease of operation is improved, but structural strength and rigidity deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The container employs different degrees of flexibility in different regions: the base and lower sides are made with higher silicone content (e.g., 30-40 parts by weight) to provide rigidity and free-standing capability, while the upper sides and mouth region use lower silicone content (e.g., 10-20 parts by weight) to enable easy deformation and sealing operations. This spatial variation in material properties resolves the contradiction between standing stability and sealing flexibility.
3Strength
If the container is made rigid to maintain shape and stand freely, then structural strength is improved, but flexibility for sealing and configuration change deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The container employs different degrees of flexibility in different regions: the base and lower sides are made with higher silicone content (e.g., 30-40 parts by weight) to provide rigidity and free-standing capability, while the upper sides and mouth region use lower silicone content (e.g., 10-20 parts by weight) to enable easy deformation and sealing operations. This spatial variation in material properties resolves the contradiction between standing stability and sealing flexibility.
4Reliability
If a complex sealing mechanism with external clips or clasps is used to maintain sealed state, then reliability of sealing is improved, but device complexity and ease of operation worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The container uses a self-sealing mechanism where the flexible mouth material itself forms the seal through deformation and engagement with the closure member, eliminating the need for external clips or clasps. The silicone material's inherent elasticity and conformability allow it to create and maintain the seal through its own deformation, making the system self-sufficient and removing complex external sealing components.
Solution Approach 2:
The sealing mechanism relies on changing the physical state and deformation of the silicone material rather than mechanical fastening components. By utilizing the material's viscoelastic properties and ability to undergo reversible deformation, the seal is created through parameter changes in the material itself (shape, volume, elasticity) rather than through additional mechanical parts, thereby simplifying the overall device complexity.
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 design allows for a self-standing, flexible, and resealable container that remains open when unsealed, enabling easy pouring or spooning without manual holding, and maintains a secure seal when closed, suitable for food-grade applications and dishwasher/microwave safety.
Implementation Method 1
silicone is a material of polymeric nature whose chains are made up of alternating oxygen and silicon atoms... known in the art are silicone elastomers, which are made up of linear polymers... A cross-linking phase is required in order to provide the elastic properties
Data Source
AI summary
A sealable container comprising: a base having a geometric shape; sides extending from the base and defining a mouth opposite the base, wherein cross-sections of the sides parallel to the base have a geometric shape; and a seal of the mouth comprising: a first zipper member and a second zipper member, wherein when the seal is closed to seal the mouth the first and second zipper members engage each other to make the seal and when the seal is open the first and second zipper members disengage to break the seal, wherein the base, sides and seal comprise silicone, wherein the base and at least a portion of the sides adjacent the base are of sufficient thickness and rigidity for the container to freely stand vertically on its base with the mouth at the top, and wherein the seal and at least a portion of the sides defining the mouth are sufficiently flexible to allow the seal and side portion to be deformed between open and closed mouth configurations.