Universal Container Seal Air Evacuation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current packaging designs fail to provide a consistent, universal seal for containers of varying sizes that evacuates air and maintains impermeability to both air and liquid, often trapping ambient atmosphere and allowing oxidation and bacterial growth.
Innovation Solution
A resilient, deformable container seal with a planar body that adjusts to the inner shape of containers, expelling air and forming a tight seal by deforming into concave configurations, suitable for different container shapes and sizes, including tapered ones.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a fixed lid or cap is used to seal the container opening, then impermeability to air and liquid is achieved, but a significant amount of ambient atmosphere is trapped inside the container causing oxidation and bacterial growth
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of sealing from the outside (top rim), the seal engages from the inside (inner wall surface) of the container, inverting the traditional sealing approach to minimize trapped atmosphere
Solution Approach 2:
The seal design extracts and removes the harmful trapped atmosphere by allowing it to escape through the tapered engagement, keeping only the necessary substance inside the container
2Object-affected harmful factors
If a vacuum sealed plastic bag is used for storage, then oxidation and bacterial growth are prevented, but the method becomes impractical for liquids and short term storage of small volume articles
Solution Approach 1:
The seal design provides universal applicability across different container types, sizes, and contents (solids and liquids) through its tapered geometry that adapts to various inner wall configurations
Solution Approach 2:
The seal transitions from a rigid vacuum bag approach to a dynamic, adaptable structure that can conform to different container shapes and sizes while maintaining the air evacuation function
3Reliability
If conventional sealing materials (conforming lid, plastic film, aluminum foil) are used, then a seal is formed on the container opening, but ambient atmosphere is trapped in the container along with the stored item
Solution Approach 1:
The seal engages from the inside surface rather than the outside rim, inverting the sealing direction to allow trapped air to escape while maintaining the seal
Solution Approach 2:
The seal utilizes a flexible, resilient body that can deform to conform to the inner wall surface of various container shapes, creating an effective seal while maintaining adaptability
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 universal container seal effectively minimizes trapped ambient atmosphere, preventing oxidation and bacterial growth while maintaining impermeability, and can be used with various container sizes and shapes.
Implementation Method 1
The resilient body is deformable into a plurality of upward, concave configurations, in which the body presents different concavities and resulting total widths
Implementation Method 2
sliding downwards against the inner walls of the container while allowing air to be expelled from beneath the container seal
Data Source
AI summary
A universal container seal for sealing a container opening includes a resilient body having a top surface and a bottom surface. The body is further configured in a geometric plan form and having a width significantly greater than a thickness, the thickness being greater at a center of the resilient body than at a periphery of the resilient body. At least one gripping portion extends from the top surface of the body. A central portion of the bottom surface of the resilient body is concave. The concave central portion can be in vertical registration with one or more gripping portions.