Stiff Support Body for Pressure Relief Valve
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current pressure relief valves in packaging containers, which are made of flexible materials, conform to the shape of bloated packages due to carbon dioxide buildup from organic products like coffee, leading to a cessation of gas flow and potential package bursting.
Innovation Solution
A rigid degassing valve with a stiff support body that maintains its shape and allows gas release, featuring a stiff support body with a deflection force between 300 gram-centimeters and 800 gram-centimeters, preventing conformation to the package curvature and ensuring continuous operation even when the package becomes bloated.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If flexible support structures are used in pressure relief valves, then the valve can conform to the packaging shape, but the valve fails to function when the package becomes bloated due to carbon dioxide buildup
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the physical parameter of the support body from flexible to rigid. The rigid support body maintains a predetermined flat shape and does not conform to the curved shape of bloated packaging, thereby preventing the valve diaphragm from being prevented from opening by package curvature. This parameter change resolves the contradiction by ensuring valve functionality is maintained even when the package becomes bloated.
2Quantity of substance
If the package expands due to carbon dioxide gas from roasted coffee, then the package contains the coffee product, but the flexible valve conforming to the bloated shape prevents gas flow through the valve
Solution Approach 1:
The rigid support body maintains a predetermined flat shape that prevents conformance to the curved bloated package shape. This geometric parameter change ensures the valve diaphragm can open properly even when the package is bloated, thereby maintaining gas flow productivity while still containing the carbon dioxide produced by roasted coffee.
3Reliability
If a rigid support body is used in the pressure relief valve, then the valve maintains its shape and functions when the package is bloated, but the valve structure becomes stiffer and thicker
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by making only the support body rigid while keeping other parts of the valve (such as the diaphragm) flexible. This localized application of rigidity provides the necessary structural support to maintain valve functionality in bloated packages without making the entire valve structure unnecessarily complex or thick.
Solution Approach 2:
The valve is segmented into distinct functional components: a rigid support body for structural stability and shape maintenance, and a flexible diaphragm for pressure-responsive opening and closing. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function optimally without compromising the other.
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
Effectively releases built-up carbon dioxide while minimizing oxygen re-entry into the package, maintaining valve functionality and preventing package bursting, thus preserving coffee quality by maintaining a controlled gas exchange.
Implementation Method 1
The stiff support body prevents the pressure relief valve from conforming to the curvature of the packaging
Implementation Method 2
When the specified internal pressure is reached due to the carbon dioxide build up, the valve will open, degassing the package
Implementation Method 3
The adhesive layer allows the base to be mounted to a package or support surface
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention creates a new rigid degassing valve. The valve of the present invention utilizes a relatively stiff support body in order to successfully vent gases, such as carbon dioxide, from within the packaging. Carbon dioxide may be created by organic products placed in the packaging which causes the package to expand. The valve of the current invention maintains its shape as the package becomes bloated and takes on a rounded shape due to carbon dioxide expended by the roasted coffee beans.The invention pertains to a pressure relief valve for use on packaging containers comprising a stiff support body mountable to a package surface defining an inner aperture wherein the stiff support body has a stiffness of between 300 grams and 800 grams; a flexible film having a top and bottom surface mounted to said stiff base and moveable between an open and closed position; a rail mounted on said stiff base permitting the flexible film to move between an open and closed position; in said open position said film is located above said aperture; in said closed position, said film covers said aperture; and wherein the stiff support body does not conform with any curvature of the packaging surface such that the flexible film may move between an open and closed position regardless of the curvature of the packaging surface.