Tethered Container Closure With Open-Position Cap Locking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing container closures with tamper-evident rings and retaining straps obstruct the drinking process due to the threaded portion being too close to the bottle neck, causing inconvenience when consuming from the container.
Innovation Solution
A container closure design featuring tongues that lock securely in the open position, utilizing retaining straps with precise dimensions and a projection on the tamper-evident ring to align and overlap, ensuring the screw cap remains stable and out of the way during consumption, while using a reinforcing section to maintain ring stability and a cone sealer for secure sealing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the threaded portion is held close to the bottle neck in the open position, then the closure provides stability and remains securely attached, but the threaded portion becomes an obstruction when drinking from the bottle
Solution Approach 1:
The screw cap is positioned in a plane that is offset from the bottle neck axis by using the retaining straps as hinges, allowing the cap to swing outward to the side rather than remaining directly over the opening. This dimensional repositioning eliminates the obstruction problem while maintaining secure attachment through the hinge mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The retaining straps are designed to function as hinges, enabling the screw cap to dynamically transition between closed and open positions. When opened, the cap can swing to the side rather than being fixed in a static position that would obstruct drinking, thus providing both stability when closed and ease of operation when opened.
2Ease of operation
If the retaining straps are made longer to allow the cap to swing further away, then the cap is less obstructive, but the tongues may not align properly to lock together
Solution Approach 1:
The lengths of the retaining straps and tongues are precisely controlled within specific ranges to ensure proper alignment. By optimizing these dimensional parameters, the design achieves both sufficient swing clearance and reliable tongue alignment for locking, resolving the contradiction between movement range and precision alignment.
3Reliability
If the tongues are made longer to ensure proper engagement, then the locking is more secure, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The tongues are integrated directly into the screw cap and tamper-evident ring structures rather than being separate components. This merging of functions reduces overall device complexity while maintaining secure locking engagement, as the tongues serve both as structural elements and as the locking mechanism itself.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a container closure (11) for closing the pour opening (33) of a container (13), having – a screw cap (15) with a free edge (25) – a security ring (17) that is connected by means of break-off webs (63) to the free edge (25) of the casing (15) and has engagement means (37), - a first holding strip (19a) with a first and a second end (39, 41), wherein the first end (39) is fixedly connected to the free edge (25) of the screw cap (15) and the second end (41) is fixedly connected to the security ring (17) and – a second holding strip (19b) with a third and a fourth arm end (51, 53), wherein the third end (51) is fixedly connected to the free edge (25) of the screw cap (15) and the fourth end (53) is fixedly connected to the security ring (17). The first, second, third and fourth ends (39, 41, 51, 53) are arranged one after the other in the circumferential direction on the free edge (25) and on the security ring (17). A first tongue (43) that has a first tongue end (45) and a second tongue (47) that has a second tongue end and adjoins the first tongue (43) are arranged between the second and the third end (41, 51). The second tongue (47) is part of the security ring (17) and in the open position the first tongue end (45) comes into contact with the second tongue end (49).