Bag Manufacturing Process with Aligned Printed Features

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current packaging bags for fruits and vegetables face challenges in maintaining freshness due to excessive humidity and light exposure, and struggle to consistently align printed features across different sections during manufacturing.

Innovation Solution

A process involving the continuous conveyance of flexible printed webs, cutting into sections, inserting a transparent web for window creation, and securing edges to maintain alignment, allowing for the production of bags with aligned printed features and controlled opacity to manage humidity and light exposure.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If a mesh material window is added to paper bags to allow visibility and aeration, then customer visibility and air circulation are improved, but humidity enters the bag excessively and the bag loses rigidity

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecustomer visibility and aerationVSAvoidhumidity entry and rigidity loss

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent uses a composite structure combining transparent plastic material with integrated ventilation holes, replacing the traditional paper bag with mesh window approach. This composite material solution provides both visibility and controlled aeration while preventing excessive humidity entry and maintaining structural rigidity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #40Composite materials

2Ease of manufacture

If transparent plastic material is used for bags to overcome paper bag deficiencies, then visibility and manufacturing ease are improved, but light exposure accelerates degradation of fruits or vegetables

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemanufacturing simplicityVSAvoidlight exposure and item degradation

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by making only specific portions of the bag transparent (front and back walls) while keeping other portions opaque. This selective transparency allows visibility and manufacturing simplicity while limiting light exposure to essential areas, preventing acceleration of fruit or vegetable degradation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

3Adaptability or versatility

If printed features are extended on different sections of the bag with another material inserted between them, then aesthetic appeal and design flexibility are improved, but alignment consistency and manufacturing quality become difficult to maintain

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedesign flexibilityVSAvoidprinted features alignment consistency

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent divides the bag into distinct sections (front wall, back wall, side walls) with printed features on specific segments. By segmenting the design and using a modular construction approach where the transparent material is inserted between pre-aligned printed sections, the patent maintains alignment consistency while achieving design flexibility.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

4Object-affected harmful factors

If an opaque layer is added to plastic bags to limit light entry, then light exposure and item degradation are reduced, but the bag still includes transparent windows that compromise structural integrity when wet

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvelight exposure controlVSAvoidstructural integrity when wet

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSStrength

Solution Approach 1:

The patent employs a composite material structure where the transparent plastic material serves dual functions: providing visibility while maintaining sufficient structural integrity. The material is selected to balance transparency with wet strength, eliminating the need for separate opaque layers while controlling light exposure through selective transparency.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #40Composite materials

Data Source

PatentUS11338538B2Process for manufacturing bags for packaging items, and bag produced therefrom

Publication Date: 2022.05.24 LES EMBALLAGES TRIUM INC

AI summary

A process is for manufacturing bags and a bag forming web. A bag is produced therefrom. The process includes conveying a continuous printed web including printed features along a conveying direction. The continuous printed web is cut into printed web sections along the conveying direction, and at least two of the printed web sections include(s) portion(s) of the printed features. The printed web sections are spaced-apart and a second continuous web is inserted between adjacent ones of the spaced-apart printed web sections, while an alignment between the printed web sections including printed features is maintained one relative to the other, along the conveying direction. The second continuous web is secured to the adjacent and spaced-apart printed web sections along longitudinal adjacent edges, thus forming a combined continuous bag forming web. Bags are formed from the combined continuous bag forming web, and the features on the different printed sections of the bags are in alignment.