Biodegradable Paper Container with Conical Frustum Design
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The environmental impact and health hazards caused by plastic beverage containers, including pollution, slow decomposition, and leaching of harmful chemicals, along with issues of deposit requirements and unattractive, unstable designs in biodegradable alternatives, necessitate a more effective and aesthetically pleasing solution.
Innovation Solution
A biodegradable paper-based container with a conical frustum design, sealed edges, and a pull tab, made from materials like poly-coated SBS paperboard, which is stable, compatible with standard holders, and aesthetically appealing, addressing the shortcomings of existing biodegradable options.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If plastic beverage containers are used, then durability and leak-proof performance are improved, but environmental pollution and health hazards worsen due to slow decomposition and chemical leaching
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material parameter from plastic to paperboard, fundamentally altering the decomposition rate and chemical properties. The paperboard container maintains structural integrity for beverage containment while enabling rapid biodegradation, eliminating the contradiction between durability and environmental harm by redefining what constitutes adequate durability for single-use containers
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs composite material construction using paperboard with specific coatings or treatments to achieve leak-proof performance without plastic. The composite structure provides both the necessary containment properties and the desired biodegradability, resolving the contradiction between reliability and environmental impact
2Object-affected harmful factors
If biodegradable paper containers are used, then environmental impact is reduced, but stability and aesthetic appeal worsen due to narrow bottom designs that are top-heavy and easy to knock over
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies asymmetry by designing a container with a wider base that tapers toward the top, creating an asymmetric conical frustum shape. This geometric asymmetry provides a lower center of gravity and broader base of support, dramatically improving stability while maintaining the biodegradable paper construction that addresses environmental concerns
3Duration of action of stationary object
If biodegradable paper containers are used, then environmental decomposition is improved, but design compatibility and user appeal worsen due to square shapes that do not fit standard round beverage holders
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs curvature by designing the container with a circular cross-section and conical frustum shape, replacing square geometries with curved surfaces. This circular profile enables the container to fit seamlessly into standard round beverage holders, car cup holders, and bicycle racks, while the paperboard material maintains rapid biodegradation properties
Data Source
AI summary
A drinking device having a conical frustum shaped body sealed at its bottom, a foldable spout and an inward partial closure. The drinking device is preferably bio-degradable and its spout is re-sealable. The drinking device may also have protrusions for standing.