Abstract
A one-piece or two-piece food-grade silicone gasket for bail-type (hinge-top, flip-top, clamp-lid) glass jars incorporates an integrated cross-diameter ribbon element with a central elliptical aperture. The ribbon element functions as a mechanically deflectable, optically readable vacuum-integrity indicator readable from above the sealed jar by top-down machine-vision inspection systems.
In the preferred embodiment, the ribbon is intentionally asymmetric: the two halves on opposite sides of the aperture have different widths, producing a differential bending stiffness. Under vacuum, the ribbon deflects upward into the recessed inner volume of the glass lid, and the aperture undergoes measurable lateral centroid displacement along the ribbon axis toward the stiffer half. Displacement is detectable by standard blob-detection machine-vision algorithms.
In an alternative two-piece embodiment, ring and ribbon are separate components of independently optimized silicone formulations, assembled by slot insertion, with molded projections providing positive mechanical retention. The disclosure covers the gasket design, two-piece variant, machine-vision inspection method, and a range of alternative geometries and optical approaches.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Heublein, William, "Vacuum-Indicator Ribbon Gasket for Bail-Type Glass Jars with Integrated Machine-Vision Inspection Capability", Technical Disclosure Commons, ()
https://www.tdcommons.org/dpubs_series/10290