Rotationally Stabilized Wine Bottle with Bumpers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional cylindrical glass wine bottles are prone to rolling and accidental breakage when stored on their sides, making them difficult to stack and maintain label visibility, especially during wine aging processes like riddling.
Innovation Solution
The introduction of a series of regularly spaced protrusions, referred to as 'bumpers,' around the cylindrical body of the glass bottle, which are molded into the exterior surface to prevent rolling and facilitate controlled rotation for sediment removal.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If conventional cylindrical glass wine bottles are stored on their sides, then space-efficient storage is achieved, but the bottles are susceptible to rolling and accidental breakage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by adding protrusions only at specific locations on the bottle exterior surface, rather than changing the entire bottle geometry. These localized protrusions provide rotational stability and prevent rolling while maintaining the cylindrical shape and interior volume of the bottle, thus preserving storage efficiency while improving reliability.
2Reliability
If bottle accessories are added to prevent rolling, then bottle stability is improved, but the devices become inconvenient and cumbersome when storing many bottles
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the anti-rolling function directly into the bottle structure by forming protrusions as an integral part of the bottle exterior surface. This eliminates the need for separate accessories or external devices, reducing storage system complexity while maintaining bottle stability. The protrusions are molded into the bottle during manufacturing, creating a unified structure that prevents rolling without adding cumbersome external elements.
3Reliability
If the bottle cross-section is altered to prevent rolling, then bottle stability is improved, but the cost of molding and handling increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses local quality by modifying only the exterior surface geometry with small protrusions rather than changing the entire bottle cross-section. This localized modification can be achieved through relatively simple mold adjustments during existing manufacturing processes, avoiding the substantial cost increases associated with completely redesigning bottle geometry. The interior shape and volume remain unchanged, preserving ease of manufacture while improving stability.
4Ease of operation
If horizontal wine bottles are stored without physical barriers, then ease of access is maintained, but it is challenging to store multiple layers of stacked bottles
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by creating controlled rotational characteristics through the protrusions. The protrusions allow bottles to rotate to specific positions when stacked or handled, enabling stable multi-layer stacking without requiring fixed physical barriers. This dynamic rotational control maintains ease of access while enabling complex stacking arrangements, as bottles can be easily rotated into place during stacking operations.
Data Source
AI summary
A substantially cylindrical glass bottle that is susceptible to accidental rolling and breakage when stored on its side has been structurally modified by forming a series of between approximately 8 and 24 small protrusions or bumpers spaced apart at regular intervals along either one path or two separated paths around the bottle's circumference at certain distances from the shoulder and base of the bottle. The bumpers project outward between approximately 2 mm to 6 mm from the bottle's outer sidewall surface, and pairs of these bumpers stably support the bottle stored on its side without the bottle rocking or rolling.