Biodegradable Beverage Carrier with Tear Slit

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional plastic beverage carriers are not environmentally friendly, as they are not biodegradable, recyclable, or repulpable, leading to pollution and wildlife entrapment issues, especially in poorer countries where they are more frequently used.

Innovation Solution

The development of biodegradable beverage carriers with a substrate layer made of paper and a water-soluble film layer, featuring a slit for easy tearing and a handle for carrying, which are designed to secure beverage cans while minimizing animal entrapment risks.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If conventional plastic beverage carriers are used, then beverage cans can be securely packaged and transported, but the carriers are not biodegradable, recyclable, or repulpable, leading to environmental pollution and wildlife entrapment

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesecure packagingVSAvoidenvironmental pollution

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSObject-generated harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent changes the material parameters of the beverage carrier from conventional plastic to a combination of paperboard and water-soluble film. The paperboard provides structural integrity for secure packaging, while the water-soluble film (made of materials like polyvinyl alcohol, polyethylene glycol, or carboxymethyl cellulose) enables biodegradability and recyclability. This parameter change resolves the contradiction by maintaining packaging reliability while eliminating environmental harm.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The patent employs a composite material structure consisting of a paperboard substrate layer and a water-soluble film layer. The paperboard provides mechanical strength and structural stability for secure beverage can packaging, while the water-soluble film coating adds moisture resistance and enables environmental degradation. This composite approach allows the carrier to simultaneously achieve reliable packaging performance and environmental friendliness through complementary material properties.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #40Composite materials

2Productivity

If conventional plastic beverage carriers are used, then beverage cans can be transported, but birds and small animals are often trapped in them with devastating consequences

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetransport efficiencyVSAvoidwildlife entrapment

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent changes the material composition from non-biodegradable plastic to biodegradable paperboard with water-soluble film coating. This parameter change ensures that if the carrier is accidentally ingested by wildlife or left in the environment, it will decompose naturally rather than causing entrapment or harm to animals, while still providing sufficient structural integrity for transport efficiency.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The patent adopts a disposable carrier design made from inexpensive, readily biodegradable materials. The paperboard and water-soluble film combination creates a carrier that is inexpensive to produce and designed for single-use, after which it naturally decomposes in the environment. This eliminates the long-term wildlife entrapment problem associated with durable plastic carriers while maintaining transport functionality during their brief service life.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #27Cheap short-living objects (Disposable)

3Ease of operation

If plastic beverage carriers are used in poorer countries, then small sets of beverage cans can be purchased and transported, but this contributes to ongoing worldwide pollution of land and oceans

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveconvenience of purchase and transportVSAvoidland and ocean pollution

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSObject-generated harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent changes the material parameters from plastic to biodegradable paperboard with water-soluble film. This allows the carrier to maintain its functionality for convenient purchase and transport of beverage cans in poorer countries, while simultaneously enabling natural degradation in land and ocean environments, thereby eliminating the pollution contribution associated with plastic carrier disposal.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

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 solution provides an environmentally friendly, recyclable, and biodegradable beverage carrier that reduces pollution and wildlife entrapment by allowing easy disposal and recycling, while being suitable for securing small sets of beverage cans globally.

Implementation Method 1

The film layer may be water soluble between 0 and 100 degrees Celsius. The film layer may be comprised of polyvinyl alcohol.

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectSolvation: Solvation

Data Source

PatentUS11945631B2Beverage carriers with environmentally beneficial features

Publication Date: 2024.04.02 KADILEMA SA DE CV

AI summary

Beverage carriers including a body, a beverage hole, and a slit. The beverage hole is defined in the body and complementarily configured with a beverage container to receive and selectively secure the beverage container. The slit is defined in the body and configured to establish a tear line through the body when the body is pulled in opposing directions proximate the slit.