Tubing Cap With Flat Top And Socket For Conduit Sealing

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing tubing caps fail to effectively prevent foreign matter entry, provide identification, and maintain proper spacing between conduits, while ensuring safety and ease of attachment and removal.

Innovation Solution

A cap design featuring a post with a substantially flat top surface and a socket with a tool interface, providing a secure fit with tubing through exterior and interior tube mating surfaces, along with optional friction enhancing components and identifiers for conduit identification and spacing, manufactured from durable materials like PVC, stainless steel, or composite materials.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If traditional tubing caps are used, then the structure is simple, but they fail to effectively prevent foreign matter from entering conduits and lack proper spacing between conduits

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveforeign matter preventionVSAvoidcap structure
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The cap is divided into two distinct functional components: a post portion that fits inside the conduit to prevent foreign matter entry, and a socket portion that provides external spacing and tool engagement features. This segmentation allows each part to specialize in its specific function, improving overall reliability while keeping individual components relatively simple.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The post is nested within the socket structure, with the post fitting into the socket portion of the cap. This nested configuration allows the smaller post to perform the sealing function inside the conduit while the larger socket provides the spacing and tool engagement features externally, achieving multiple functions in a compact integrated design.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #7Nested doll (Nesting)

2Ease of operation

If existing caps are used, then attachment is straightforward, but they lack secure attachment and easy manipulation methods

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveattachment and manipulationVSAvoidattachment security
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The socket portion acts as an intermediary between the cap and external tools, providing standardized tool engagement surfaces (such as hexagonal or square interfaces) that allow common wrenches and tools to securely grip and manipulate the cap. This intermediary interface enables easy operation with standard tools while maintaining secure attachment through the threaded connection to the post.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Adaptability or versatility

If basic caps are used, then manufacturing is simple, but they lack identification and spacing features

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveidentification and spacing functionalityVSAvoidcap production
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The socket portion is designed to serve multiple functions simultaneously: it provides spacing between conduits through its external dimensions, enables tool engagement for installation and removal, and can incorporate identification features such as color coding, markings, or attached tags. This multi-functionality allows a single component design to address several needs without significantly complicating the manufacturing process.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentUS10047894B2Apparatus, system, and method for tubing caps
Publication Date: 2018.08.14 CAP IT LLC
  • US10047894B2 patent drawing
  • US10047894B2 patent drawing
  • US10047894B2 patent drawing

AI summary

A cap for tubing. The cap includes a post and a socket. The post includes an exterior tube mating surface and a substantially flat top surface disposed at a first end of the post. The socket is disposed at a second end of the post. The socket includes an interior tube mating surface and a tool mating surface.