Tamper Evident Closure With Nested Shells And Movable Lugs
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing closures for containers lack effective tamper-evident and child-resistant mechanisms, posing risks of unauthorized access and accidental opening.
Innovation Solution
A closure system comprising an inner and outer shell with movable lugs and a tamper band that engages a bottle bead, requiring a downward force to rotate the outer shell and align lugs for opening, providing both tamper evidence and child-resistant features.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a closure provides tamper evident and child resistant features, then safety and security are improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The closure is divided into separate functional components: an inner shell with inner lugs for tamper evidence, and an outer shell with outer lugs for child resistance. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function independently while working together to provide comprehensive security.
Solution Approach 2:
The inner shell is nested within the outer shell, with the inner lugs positioned inside the outer lugs. This nested arrangement allows the tamper evident feature to be contained within the child resistant feature, creating a compact integrated structure where the outer shell protects the inner shell while both work together for security.
2Ease of operation
If the outer lug is movable relative to the inner lug between engaged and disengaged positions, then ease of operation is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The outer lug is designed to be movable rather than fixed, allowing it to transition between engaged and disengaged positions. This dynamic design enables the closure to be opened through a simple rotational motion that disengages the outer lug from the inner lug, providing ease of operation without requiring complex mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The movable outer lug automatically engages with the inner lug when the closure is assembled and automatically disengages when opened through normal rotation. This self-service mechanism eliminates the need for additional actuators or complex control systems, achieving ease of operation through the inherent motion of the closure components.
3Reliability
If the tamper band extends radially inwardly to engage the bottle bead, then tamper evident reliability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The tamper band is extracted as a separate functional element from the main closure body, extending downwardly from the skirt of the inner shell. This extraction allows the tamper band to independently engage with the bottle bead to provide tamper evidence, while the rest of the closure structure can function without it. The tamper band can be simplified as a separate component rather than integrating complex functionality into the main closure.
Data Source
AI summary
A closure including an outer shell and an inner shell that cooperate to provide child-resistant opening features is provided. The inner shell includes at least one lug that cooperates with at least one lug of the outer shell to provide the child-resistant opening feature. The closure also includes a tamper evident band to provide an indicator of when the closure has been opened relative to an underlying container.