Tethered Bottle Cap Structure for Easy Opening and Recycling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing containers face issues with cap bodies frequently getting lost after use, leading to resource waste and environmental pollution due to difficulty in recycling, and they are not suitable for high-speed production lines due to high manufacturing costs.
Innovation Solution
A bottle cap design with a connected cap body and cap ring, featuring an extension strip and U-shaped strip that are locked together by breakable connecting teeth, allowing the cap to remain attached during use and facilitate easy recycling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the cap body and cap ring are separated in existing containers, then the cap body can be easily removed after use, but the cap body is frequently lost and difficult to recycle
Solution Approach 1:
The cap is divided into three segments: cap body, cap ring, and extension strip. The extension strip acts as a connecting element that can be broken to separate the cap body from the cap ring during opening, but the cap ring remains attached to the container, preventing cap body loss while enabling easy removal.
Solution Approach 2:
The extension strip serves as an intermediary element between the cap body and cap ring. It provides a controlled breaking point that allows the cap body to be separated from the container while keeping the cap ring attached, thus preventing loss and facilitating recycling.
2Ease of operation
If the cap body is separated from the cap ring, then opening is easier, but recycling becomes difficult due to cap body loss
Solution Approach 1:
The cap structure is segmented into removable cap body and retained cap ring portions. The extension strip provides a controlled separation point that enables easy opening while ensuring the cap ring remains on the container for complete recycling.
Solution Approach 2:
The design allows the cap body to be temporarily discarded during opening but ensures the cap ring is recovered and retained on the container. This enables complete recycling of both components without loss.
3Ease of manufacture
If traditional cap designs are used, then manufacturing is simpler, but production speed is limited due to high manufacturing costs
Solution Approach 1:
The cap body, extension strip, and cap ring are merged into a single integrated component manufactured by injection molding. This eliminates the need for separate assembly steps, reduces manufacturing cost, and enables high-speed production while maintaining design functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the manufacturing parameter from multi-component assembly to single-step injection molding. This parameter change reduces manufacturing complexity and cost while enabling high-speed production suitable for modern manufacturing lines.
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure provides a bottle cap, a container and a method for opening the container. The bottle cap includes a cap body and a cap ring which are connected. The cap body is provided with an extension strip, a first end of the extension strip is integrally connected to the cap body. The cap ring is provided with an avoidance part for the extension strip to pass through and a U-shaped strip encircling the extension strip, an opening of the U-shaped strip is integrally connected to the avoidance part and a bottom of the U-shaped strip is integrally connected to a second end of the extension strip. The bottle cap of the present disclosure is always connected to the container and will not be lost, so as to facilitate users to use and improve the recycling rate of the bottle cap.