Spice Grinder Bottle Neck Structure Without Screw Attachment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing spice containers with integrated grinders face manufacturing challenges due to screw connections and closely spaced grooves, which are difficult and expensive to produce, especially with plastic parts, and can result in the grinder being easily detached.
Innovation Solution
The container features two spaced ribs on the neck to limit axial displacement of the rotor, with an additional rib for securing the stator and projections to prevent rotation, eliminating the need for a screw connection and simplifying manufacturing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a screw connection is used to attach the grinder to the container neck, then the grinder can be securely attached, but the grinder can be easily detached and the manufacturing becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The invention removes the screw connection element from the assembly and replaces it with a direct snap-fit mechanism where the grinder body engages with the container neck through geometric interlocking features, eliminating the need for separate fastening components
Solution Approach 2:
The attachment function is merged into the basic structural interface between the grinder body and container neck, where the same geometric features that provide structural support also provide the attachment mechanism, eliminating the need for separate fastening elements
2Manufacturing precision
If two grooves are arranged closely together on the rotor to limit axial displacement, then the axial displacement can be limited, but the manufacturing becomes difficult and expensive
Solution Approach 1:
The invention transitions from a two-dimensional groove pattern on the rotor surface to a three-dimensional geometric interlocking system where protrusions on the rotor engage with corresponding recesses in the stator, creating axial displacement limitation through spatial geometry rather than surface grooves
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of creating grooves in the rotor to limit displacement, the invention uses protrusions that positively engage with the stator structure, inverting the approach from negative space (grooves) to positive space (protrusions) for displacement control
3Reliability
If the stator is secured with a circumferential rib, then the stator cannot detach, but the rib requires additional manufacturing steps
Solution Approach 1:
The circumferential rib on the container neck serves multiple functions: it provides the primary attachment interface for the stator, defines the positioning of the grinding mechanism, and works in conjunction with the rotor-protrusion-stator-recess geometric interlocking system to prevent both radial and axial detachment
Solution Approach 2:
The attachment function is merged into the basic structural interface between the stator and container neck, where the same geometric features that provide structural support also provide the attachment mechanism, eliminating the need for separate fastening elements
Data Source
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AI summary
The bottle (1) has a grinder (3) that is provided on the bottle neck (2), and comprised with stator (4) having teeth (5) on which teeth (7) of rotor (6) is mounted. A cap (9) is rotatably fixed with the bottle neck such that axial displacement of the cap is possible. The extending ribs (16,17) are spaced apart in the bottle neck to control opening space of a groove (18) whose width corresponds to the length of axial displacement of the rotor.