Snap-On Threaded Closure for Easy Bottle Refill Removal
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing plastic bottles for personal care products are difficult to reuse due to challenging closure removal and reapplication, leading to undesirable disposal and increased energy consumption in recycling.
Innovation Solution
A durable snap-on/twist-off closure with resistance and guidance recesses on the cylindrical snap-on pipe, allowing easy removal and secure refitting by consumers, featuring angled threads and recesses to facilitate axial and rotational movements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the closure is designed to be easily removable by consumers, then ease of operation is improved, but the closure may separate from the bottle too readily during transportation, compromising reliability
Solution Approach 1:
The closure system transitions from a static snap-fit connection to a dynamic threaded connection that requires rotational movement for both attachment and removal. The threaded engagement creates friction and mechanical interlocking that maintains reliability during transportation while still allowing consumer removal through twisting motion.
Solution Approach 2:
The closure removal mechanism shifts from purely axial displacement to rotational movement in a different dimension. The threaded pipe requires rotational force to disengage, providing secure retention during linear transportation movements while enabling easy removal through rotational consumer action.
2Ease of operation
If the closure uses a snap-fit mechanism for easy consumer removal, then ease of operation is improved, but manufacturing precision requirements increase due to the need for precise thread engagement
Solution Approach 1:
The thread geometry parameters (pitch, angle, depth) are optimized to balance manufacturing feasibility with functional performance. The threaded design allows for tolerance compensation through the self-centering nature of thread engagement, reducing the impact of manufacturing variations while maintaining secure closure.
3Reliability
If the closure is designed for secure attachment during manufacturing, then reliability is improved, but ease of operation for consumer removal deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The closure system uses dynamic threaded engagement that provides secure attachment through friction and mechanical interlocking during manufacturing, while the same threaded mechanism allows easy removal through rotational consumer action. The threaded connection transforms the static secure attachment into a dynamic system responsive to rotational force.
4Device complexity
If the closure uses a simple snap-on design, then device complexity is reduced, but the closure cannot provide sufficient retention force, worsening reliability
Solution Approach 1:
The closure utilizes the flexibility of the polymeric threaded pipe to accommodate engagement variations and provide secure retention. The flexible material allows the threads to deform slightly during engagement, ensuring reliable connection while maintaining a relatively simple overall closure structure without requiring additional complex retention mechanisms.
Data Source
AI summary
An improved snap-on/twist off closure which is very durable. The invention is also directed to a package comprising the closure, e.g., a bottle in combination with the closure. The closure includes an upper wall defining an opening and a cylindrical snap on pipe depending from the upper wall. The pipe includes threads designed to mate with external threads on a neck of the bottle. The threads on the pipe and threads on the neck of the bottle pass over each other when the closure is snapped onto the bottle during manufacture. The pipe includes a resistance recess and a guidance recess. The resistance recess and the guidance recess accommodate a forcing element on a shoulder of the bottle and permit unscrewing of the closure.