Adhesive Closing Flap for Damp Coffee Capsule Collection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Used aluminum coffee capsules, often contaminated with damp coffee grounds and residues, are difficult to recycle due to their dampness and contamination, which requires individual cleaning by consumers, leading to them often being discarded with regular household garbage.
Innovation Solution
A specially designed plastics bag with a closing flap and adhesive strip that can be folded over the bag opening to create a liquid-tight seal, allowing for the collection and transportation of damp waste, including used coffee capsules, without leakage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If used coffee capsules are collected for recycling, then recycling rate is improved, but leakage and contamination during transport occurs due to dampness
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a flexible plastics bag with a specific geometric configuration (protruding rear wall forming a closing flap) to contain damp coffee capsules. The flexible film structure adapts to the irregular shape of used capsules while providing a moisture-proof barrier that prevents leakage and contamination during transport, enabling reliable recycling collection.
2Object-generated harmful factors
If aluminum coffee capsules are made accessible to recycling process, then environmental benefit is improved, but individual cleaning by consumer is required which increases water consumption
Solution Approach 1:
The invention performs the containment and protection action in advance by providing consumers with sealed plastics bags to collect used capsules immediately after use. This preliminary containment prevents contamination and eliminates the need for subsequent cleaning operations, allowing direct recycling of aluminum capsules without additional water consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The plastics bag serves as an intermediary container between the used coffee capsule and the recycling process. It protects the aluminum capsule from further contamination during handling and transport, enabling the capsule to be directly recycled without requiring consumer cleaning, thus reducing water consumption while maintaining environmental benefits.
3Reliability
If closing flap is folded down to close bag opening, then liquid-tight seal is achieved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The bag design employs asymmetric geometry where the rear wall protrudes beyond the front wall to form a closing flap. This asymmetric configuration enables the closing mechanism to be integrated into the bag structure itself, achieving a liquid-tight seal through simple folding and adhesion without requiring complex additional components or manufacturing processes.
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 bags provide a reliable, moisture-proof solution for collecting and transporting damp waste, including used coffee capsules, ensuring they can be efficiently recycled by preventing leakage and contamination during transport.
Implementation Method 1
a first adhesive strip (18), in some cases on the inner side, wherein the adhesion area (18) is designed and configured, in some cases when the closing flap (14) is placed flat onto the outer side of the bag front wall (2), to cover the bag opening (10)
Data Source
AI summary
A bag, preferably a plastics bag, for the collection of waste, which may include damp waste such as used coffee capsules, wherein, a bag opening is present in the bag front wall, and further comprising a closing flap which has an adhesion area to cover and close the bag opening. The disclosure further relates to a method for collecting waste, which may include damp waste such as used coffee capsules, using the bag according to the disclosure. Moreover, a method for recycling used coffee capsules, comprising collecting a plurality of bags according to the disclosure filled therewith and subjecting this plurality of bags to a melting process. Finally, described herein is use of the bags according to the disclosure for the collection of waste, which may include damp waste such as used coffee capsules, or for the shipping of waste such as used coffee capsules to a collection point.