Tethered Tamper-Evident Cap with Simplified Moulded Joining Zone
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing caps with tamper evident rings require complex molds and additional processing steps like engraving or movable inserts, making production laborious and prone to defects.
Innovation Solution
A cap design with a joining zone that includes a first and second narrow thickness zone, allowing for a simple mold construction without movable inserts or engraving, ensuring the tamper evident ring remains attached to the container after opening.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If drawers or movable inserts are used inside the cap production mould to make permanent connections, then the permanent connecting zone can be formed, but the cap mould becomes complex in construction
Solution Approach 1:
The mould is divided into a first mould part and a second mould part that can move relative to each other along the longitudinal axis. The joining zone is formed by the interaction between these two separate parts during the injection moulding process, eliminating the need for complex drawers or movable inserts while still creating the permanent connecting zone.
Solution Approach 2:
The mould design pre-configures the joining zone structure between the first and second mould parts before injection. The narrow thickness zone is formed by the predetermined geometry of the mould parts, allowing the permanent connection to be created during the basic injection process without requiring additional movable components.
2Reliability
If a post moulding process comprising engraving is used to make the bridges of the joining zone, then the joining zone can be created, but cap production becomes laborious
Solution Approach 1:
The joining zone with narrow thickness zones is pre-formed during the injection moulding process itself through the specific geometry of the first and second mould parts. This eliminates the need for subsequent engraving or post-moulding operations, allowing caps to be produced continuously without additional laborious steps.
Solution Approach 2:
The formation of the joining zone is merged with the main injection moulding process. The same mould parts that form the cap body also create the joining zone structure, combining multiple functions into a single production step and eliminating separate post-processing operations.
3Reliability
If the cap is designed with a permanent connecting zone, then the body remains attached to the tamper evident ring, but the joining zone requires complex formation methods
Solution Approach 1:
The mould is segmented into two parts with a narrow interface zone between them. This segmentation allows the joining zone to be formed naturally by the mould part geometry without requiring complex additional mechanisms, while still ensuring the body remains attached to the tamper evident ring through the permanent connecting zone.
Solution Approach 2:
The mould parts are designed with a localized narrow thickness zone at the joining area. This local geometric feature creates the permanent connection structure only where needed, without requiring overall complexity in the entire mould construction. The narrow thickness zone is precisely positioned to form the permanent connecting zone between body and tamper evident ring.
Data Source
Figure 1~1B
Figure 1C~1E
Figure 2~2E
AI summary
A cap (1) for a container comprising: a body (2), configured to be coupled and uncoupled relative to the neck of the container and including a side wall (21) and a transverse wall (22); a tamper evident ring (3), configured to engage a locking member on the neck of the container; a joining zone 5 (4), where the tamper evident ring (3) is joined to the body (2), wherein the joining zone (4) includes a tether (41), connected to the tamper evident ring (3) in a first connecting zone (32), and to the body (2) in a second connecting zone (23), a first narrow thickness zone (42) configured to connect a first flank (412) of the tether (41) to the tamper evident ring (3), 10 and a second narrow thickness zone (43) to connect a second flank (413) of the tether (41) to the side wall (21) of the body (2), wherein the first narrow thickness zone (42) and the second narrow thickness zone (43) are configured to be torn in response to a displacement of the body (2) away from the tamper evident ring (3).