Tamper-Evident Sealing Device with Resilient Latching Legs
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing sealing devices for reusable mailing pouches are susceptible to tampering due to gaps between components, inadequacies in the seal or locking housing, and issues with the attachment of the tab to the fastener, as well as difficulties with broken seal portions becoming stuck, which compromise security and ease of use.
Innovation Solution
A sealing apparatus featuring a T-shaped seal with resiliently deformable legs that latch into a locking housing, a secure tab design with a shroud to protect the zipper crown, and horns for engagement with a projection on the tab, providing enhanced protection against tampering and secure retention within the housing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a seal is provided with gaps between components to allow access, then ease of operation is improved, but security against tampering deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The locking housing is divided into separate components (housing body, seal, tab, fastener) that work together but can be independently manufactured and assembled. The seal is segmented into a body and resilient legs that can deflect independently to engage with the housing walls, allowing controlled access while maintaining security.
Solution Approach 2:
The seal acts as an intermediary element between the tab/fastener assembly and the locking housing. It provides the frangible connection that mediates between the need for secure locking and the need for controlled access, breaking only when deliberate force is applied rather than during normal operation.
2Reliability
If the seal is made more durable to withstand rough handling, then reliability is improved, but ease of breaking for access deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The seal has different mechanical properties in different locations: the resilient legs are designed to be flexible and deflectible for engagement, while the frangible connection point is designed to be the weakest point for controlled breaking. This local differentiation allows the seal to be durable where needed but breakable where required for access.
Solution Approach 2:
The seal is designed with excessive durability in terms of withstanding normal rough handling and accidental forces, but includes a specific frangible connection that requires only partial force (deliberate breaking action) to fail. This allows the seal to withstand more than normally expected while still being breakable when intentionally activated.
3Reliability
If the tab attachment means is made secure to prevent manipulation, then security is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The tab and fastener are merged into a single integrated assembly that moves together as one unit. The tab is attached to the fastener head so that manipulating the fastener automatically manipulates the tab and its attachment to the seal, simplifying the overall mechanism while maintaining security through the frangible seal connection.
Solution Approach 2:
The frangible seal automatically provides its own security function by breaking when force is applied to the fastener/tab assembly. The seal's resilient legs self-deflect to engage with the housing walls, and the frangible connection self-activates when breaking force is applied, eliminating the need for additional locking mechanisms or complex attachment means.
4Ease of operation
If broken seal portions are allowed to remain in the locking housing, then ease of operation for next use is improved, but reliability deteriorates due to stuck components
Solution Approach 1:
The frangible connection is designed so that when the seal breaks, the broken portions are extracted from the locking housing through the opening. The resilient legs deflect outward and away from the housing walls when broken, allowing debris to be naturally ejected or easily removed, preventing stuck components and ensuring readiness for next use.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of designing the seal to remain intact and requiring manual removal of broken parts, the design inverts the approach by making the broken portions naturally eject or deflect away from the housing. The frangible connection breaks in a way that pushes debris outward rather than leaving it embedded in the locking mechanism.
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
The solution effectively prevents unauthorized access and tampering, ensuring the integrity of the contents during transit and providing clear indication of any attempts to access the contents, while allowing secure and easy opening when necessary.
Implementation Method 1
each leg resiliently deformable towards and away from the other member of the pair... each leg resiliently deflects towards the respective other leg of the pair of legs to reduce the distance between respective feet
Data Source
Figure 1(a)~1(b)
Figure 2(a)
Figure 2(b)
AI summary
A sealing apparatus for tamper-evidently closing an opening in a sealable product comprising a locking housing (12, 14) mountable adjacent the opening and including an entrance passage (29) leading to a stall (22); a fastener for closing the opening, the fastener having a fastener head (32) adapted to pass through the entrance passage into the stall and an actuator tab (36) attached to and movable about the fastener head to, with the fastener head received into the stall, engage with and close the entrance passage behind the fastener head, and a seal (62) for tamper-evidently securing the actuator tab in position in the entrance passage.