Disposable Aluminum Lid Rolled Lip Taper Nesting

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing disposable aluminum lids have sharp corner edges that can cause injuries and cannot stack or nest properly, leading to inefficient shipping and storage due to the zero-degree taper of their edge walls.

Innovation Solution

The improved disposable aluminum lid features a rolled lip on its corners and a 3-10 degree taper between the raised ridge and the downwardly extending skirt, allowing for safe handling and efficient nesting by forming a continuous rolled lip around the entire periphery, including sides and corners, which enables seamless stacking and reduced material usage.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of manufacture

If the edge walls extend at a ninety degree angle from the top edge of the lid, then the manufacturing process is simple, but the lids cannot stack and nest properly, wasting shipping space

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemanufacturing simplicityVSAvoidshipping space efficiency

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSVolume of moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent changes the geometric parameter of the edge wall angle from 90 degrees to a tapered angle (approximately 45 degrees relative to the horizontal plane). This parameter change enables the lids to nest properly during shipping while maintaining manufacturing simplicity through standard stamping processes.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

2Productivity

If the corners are left with sharp edges, then the manufacturing process is faster, but consumers can cut themselves when handling the lids

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemanufacturing speedVSAvoiduser injury risk

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary action by incorporating corner rolled lips into the stamping die design itself. This allows the corner rounding to occur automatically during the normal stamping process, eliminating the need for separate post-processing operations while ensuring consumer safety.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent merges the corner rounding operation with the main stamping process. The die design integrates both the lid forming and corner rolling functions into a single operation, maintaining manufacturing speed while eliminating sharp edges.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

3Device complexity

If only the edges between corners have rolled lips, then the manufacturing process is simpler, but the corners still have sharp edges that can injure users

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedie design complexityVSAvoidcorner sharpness

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by specifically targeting the corner regions for rolled lip formation while leaving the rest of the lid structure unchanged. The die design incorporates localized rolling surfaces that affect only the corner areas, maintaining overall manufacturing simplicity while addressing the specific safety issue at corners.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Data Source

PatentUS10486858B2Method of manufacturing an improved disposable lid

Publication Date: 2019.11.26 HFA

AI summary

In accordance with one embodiment of the invention, there is provided an improved disposable aluminum lids configured to have a slight tapering between the raised ridge and the downwardly extending skirt, and further configured to have a rolled lip formed around the entire periphery of the downwardly extending skirt, which includes both the sides and the corners of the improved disposable aluminum lid. The improved disposable aluminum lid is manufactured to prevent cuts and injury to the consumer and allow for proper nested of multiple lids for shipping and storage.