Vial Cap with Segmented Protective Cover Attachment
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The existing cap design with a protective cover is difficult to detach due to a small space outside the cap body under the protective cover and the lower surface of the cover adhering to the top plate, making it hard to remove the cover without applying excessive force.
Innovation Solution
A cap design featuring a tubular body with a top plate and a detachable protective cover, where the top plate includes a top plate annular portion and the protective cover has a cover attaching portion formed in an annular shape around the through hole, with cover projecting portions extending radially outward to facilitate easy detachment by creating a gap for finger access and distributing peeling force evenly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the protective cover is attached to the cap body with the lower surface of the protective cover in contact with the entire area of the upper surface of the top plate, then the protective cover can effectively seal and protect the stopper, but it becomes difficult to detach the protective cover from the cap body
Solution Approach 1:
The contact area between the protective cover and top plate is segmented into discrete attachment points (protrusions and recesses) rather than continuous contact. This allows the cover to be attached securely at specific locations while maintaining gaps elsewhere, enabling both effective sealing and easy detachment by applying force at the gap locations.
Solution Approach 2:
The attachment mechanism uses localized protrusions and recesses at specific positions rather than uniform contact across the entire surface. This creates areas of strong attachment (at the protrusion-recess interfaces) and areas of weak or no attachment (gaps between them), allowing the cover to be both securely mounted and easily removed by pulling at the gap regions.
2Volume of moving object
If the space outside the outer circumferential portion of the cap body under the protective cover is small, then the cap structure remains compact, but the lower surface of the protective cover adheres to the top plate making it hard to remove
Solution Approach 1:
The attachment interface is segmented into discrete protrusion-recess pairs rather than continuous contact. This creates localized attachment points that maintain compact overall dimensions while providing specific regions where the cover can be gripped and pulled for removal without requiring excessive force across the entire surface.
Solution Approach 2:
The attachment mechanism extends in the vertical dimension with protrusions projecting from the top plate upward into the space under the protective cover. This vertical extension allows secure attachment while maintaining a compact horizontal footprint, and the protrusions provide grip points that facilitate removal by applying upward force.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
Provided is a cap for being mounted to a vial having a mouth located on a top side with its opening closed by a stopper. The cap includes: a cap body including a tubular body capable of being externally fitted to the mouth of the vial, and a top plate that is arranged on the top side of the tubular body and that has a through hole through which a top side surface of the stopper is exposed in a state where the tubular body is externally fitted to the mouth of the vial; a protective cover detachably attached to the top side of the top plate; and an attaching device for attaching the protective cover and the top plate to each other. The top plate includes a top plate annular portion arranged around the through hole. The protective cover includes a cover body having a lower surface arranged away from the top plate in a state where the protective cover is attached to the top plate. The attaching device includes a cover attaching portion formed into an annular shape around the through hole and projecting from the lower surface of the cover body toward the top side of the top plate annular portion or from the top side of the top plate annular portion toward the lower surface of the cover body to attach the protective cover and the top plate to each other.