Absorbent Sheet With Dual-Sided Recessed Portions

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing absorbent sheets for pets fail to adequately convey their thickness to users through both touch and visual perception, leading to uncertainty about absorption performance.

Innovation Solution

The absorbent sheet design features top and back recessed portions that create distinct textures and visual cues, with top recessed portions recessed toward the back side and back recessed portions toward the top side, allowing users to perceive thickness through both touch and sight, and enhancing the sheet's stiffness and maintenance of thickness.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of manufacture

If only a single-sided embossed portion is formed in the absorbent body, then the manufacturing process is simple, but the purchaser cannot sufficiently perceive the thickness through touch

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemanufacturing simplicityVSAvoidthickness perception through touch

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSDifficulty of detecting and measuring

Solution Approach 1:

The embossed structure is divided into two separate components: top recessed portions formed on the top surface and back recessed portions formed on the back surface. This segmentation allows each surface to contribute independently to thickness perception, with the top recessed portions providing initial tactile feedback and the back recessed portions providing additional support and perception when the sheet is touched or pressed.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The invention adds a second dimension of embossing by forming recessed portions on both the top and back surfaces of the absorbent body. This dual-sided approach creates a three-dimensional structure that enhances thickness perception from multiple directions, allowing purchasers to feel the thickness more effectively when touching either surface of the sheet.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

2Ease of manufacture

If the embossed portion is recessed only from the top side, then the manufacturing process is simple, but the purchaser cannot sufficiently feel safe about absorption performance

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemanufacturing simplicityVSAvoidpurchaser confidence in absorption performance

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The embossed structure is divided into two separate components: top recessed portions formed on the top surface and back recessed portions formed on the back surface. This segmentation allows each surface to contribute independently to thickness perception, with the top recessed portions providing initial tactile feedback and the back recessed portions providing additional support and perception when the sheet is touched or pressed.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The invention adds a second dimension of embossing by forming recessed portions on both the top and back surfaces of the absorbent body. This dual-sided approach creates a three-dimensional structure that enhances thickness perception from multiple directions, allowing purchasers to feel the thickness more effectively when touching either surface of the sheet.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

3Ease of manufacture

If the top bottom portions and back bottom portions are at different positions, then the manufacturing process is simpler, but the thickness perception and stiffness are reduced

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemanufacturing flexibilityVSAvoidsheet stiffness and thickness maintenance

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSStrength

Solution Approach 1:

The top recessed portions and back recessed portions are positioned to overlap or align with each other, creating a merged embossed structure. This alignment causes the recessed portions from both surfaces to reinforce each other, enhancing the overall stiffness of the sheet and maintaining the embossed shape more effectively, while still allowing for various pattern designs.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The invention adds a second dimension of embossing by forming recessed portions on both the top and back surfaces of the absorbent body. This dual-sided approach creates a three-dimensional structure that enhances thickness perception from multiple directions, allowing purchasers to feel the thickness more effectively when touching either surface of the sheet.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

Data Source

PatentUS11730136B2Absorbent sheet for pets

Publication Date: 2023.08.22 UNI CHARM CORP

AI summary

An absorbent sheet for pets includes: a top sheet disposed on a top side of the absorbent sheet; a back sheet disposed on a back side of the absorbent sheet; and an absorbent body disposed between the top sheet and the back sheet, the absorbent body including: top recessed portions, each recessed toward the back side from the top side and comprising a top bottom portion; and back recessed portions, each recessed toward the top side from the back side and comprising a back bottom portion. At least some of the top bottom portions are located either: at the same position as some of the back bottom portions in a thickness direction, or closer to the back side than the back bottom portions in the thickness direction.