Vacuum Packaging Assembly Piston Volume Variation

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional vacuum packaging methods for fluid dispensers require expensive vacuum pumps that need regular maintenance, making them impractical for generating a vacuum without additional equipment or energy sources.

Innovation Solution

A packaging assembly with a sealed enclosure that uses a movable conditioning element and piston to vary the volume of a depression chamber, generating a vacuum without a vacuum pump, allowing for light, partial, or high vacuum conditions by increasing the volume of the depression chamber to create a depression inside the enclosure.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a vacuum pump is used to generate vacuum inside the enclosure, then vacuum packaging can be achieved, but the equipment becomes expensive and requires regular maintenance

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvevacuum packaging capabilityVSAvoidvacuum pump equipment
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The invention extracts and eliminates the vacuum pump from the system by replacing it with a piston-based volume variation mechanism. The piston moves within a chamber to change the chamber's volume, creating vacuum through compression/expansion cycles rather than using a dedicated vacuum pumping device.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The system uses the piston's own movement to generate vacuum without requiring external vacuum pump equipment. The piston chamber's volume changes are directly coupled to the vacuum generation, allowing the system to create vacuum using only the mechanical movement already present in the packaging device.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

2Reliability

If a vacuum pump is used to generate vacuum, then vacuum packaging is possible, but additional equipment and energy sources are required

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvevacuum generationVSAvoidadditional equipment
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The piston serves multiple functions: it acts as both the sealing element for the enclosure and the volume-changing mechanism for vacuum generation. The same mechanical movement that seals the packaging also creates the vacuum effect through chamber volume variation, eliminating the need for separate vacuum pump equipment.

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

Solution Approach 2:

The invention merges the vacuum generation function with the existing piston mechanism. The piston chamber's volume changes are integrated into the packaging operation itself, combining the sealing and vacuum generation processes into a single unified mechanism rather than using separate equipment.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

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

Enables vacuum packaging of fluid dispensers without the need for a vacuum pump, providing a cost-effective and maintenance-free solution for creating various vacuum levels, enhancing the conservation of sensitive fluid products while simplifying the packaging process.

Implementation Method 1

the enclosure being connected to a depression chamber comprising a piston capable of varying the volume of the chamber, the conditioning element and the piston being integral in movement such that a movement of the piston in the direction of an increase in volume of the chamber has the effect of generating a vacuum in the enclosure

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectVacuum: Vacuum

Implementation Method 2

the piston and the conditioning element are both urged by elastic return means into a rest position, in which the depression chamber has a minimum volume, advantageously zero, and the speaker has maximum volume

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectElasticity: Elasticity

Data Source

PatentEP2470429B1Vacuum packaging assembly and method
Publication Date: 2013.05.29 APTAR FRANCE SAS
  • EP2470429B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2470429B1 patent drawingFigure 2a~2d
  • EP2470429B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

The invention relates a packaging assembly for vacuum packaging an item (D), such as a fluid product dispenser, the assembly including a sealed enclosure (E) for receiving an item (D) to be vacuum packaged, characterized in that said enclosure (E) includes a packaging element (21) movable inside the enclosure, the enclosure (E) being connected to a negative pressure chamber (C) including a piston (22) capable of varying the volume of the chamber (C), the packaging element (21) and the piston (22) being rigidly connected while moving, such that a movement of the piston (22) in the direction of an increase in the volume of the chamber (C) has the effect of producing negative pressure inside the enclosure (E).