Spout Lid Tab Structure for Hygienic Touch-Free Opening
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional lids for containers, particularly those with spouts for beverages, face issues with complex structures that make it difficult to open and close the spout hygienically, as direct contact is required, leading to potential contamination.
Innovation Solution
A lid design featuring a small lid piece joined to a tab member with a holding piece and a top surface part insertion, allowing the spout to be opened and closed without direct contact, using a knob piece and insertion part for easy operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a tab or small lid is directly formed on the top lid part to open the spout, then the spout can be opened, but the structure becomes complex and direct contact is required which is unhygienic
Solution Approach 1:
The lid is divided into functionally independent parts: the top lid part and the small lid piece. The small lid piece is further segmented from the tab member through a holding piece mechanism. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function independently, simplifying the overall structure while enabling easy operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The holding piece acts as an intermediary between the tab member and the small lid piece. It connects these components and enables the tab member to control the small lid piece's movement without requiring direct contact between the user's fingers and the small lid piece, thus maintaining hygiene while simplifying operation.
2Ease of operation
If the tab or small lid is directly formed on the top lid part, then the spout can be opened, but direct contact with fingers causes contamination and discomfort
Solution Approach 1:
The holding piece serves as a mediator that transmits the user's pulling force from the tab member to the small lid piece without requiring direct contact between fingers and the small lid piece. This intermediary mechanism eliminates the contamination risk while maintaining ease of operation.
Solution Approach 2:
By segmenting the lid into separate components (top lid part, small lid piece, tab member) connected through the holding piece, the design allows users to interact only with the tab member, which remains outside the beverage contact zone, thus preventing contamination.
3Reliability
If the protrusion is directly formed on the top lid part to keep the small lid open, then the spout can be held open, but the structure becomes complex
Solution Approach 1:
The holding piece merges the functions of the tab member and the small lid piece connection. It combines the protrusion and recess mechanisms into a single integrated component that provides reliable spout opening maintenance without requiring separate structural elements, thus reducing overall complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The holding piece is designed as a separate segment that interfaces between the tab member and small lid piece. This segmentation allows the opening maintenance function to be achieved through a simple protrusion-recess mechanism rather than a complex integrated structure.
Data Source
Figure 1(a)~1(b)
Figure 2
Figure 3(a)~3(b)
AI summary
Provided is a lid that enables easy and hygienic opening and closing of a spout in a lid. The lid is formed for opening and closing an open mouth part of a container, and has a top surface part formed so as to cover the open mouth part when the lid is closed. The top surface part includes a small lid piece and an opening part formed when the small lid piece is lifted, a joint part joined to one end part of a tab member is formed near a tip end of the small lid piece, and the tab member has a knob part formed at the other end part.