Bottle With Thumb Recess And Tapered Body For Secure Grip
Solution Overview
Problem
Bottles used for personal care compositions, especially large volumes in humid environments, are prone to being dropped when wet and lack shelf stability, making them difficult to hold securely and store without the risk of falling.
Innovation Solution
A bottle design featuring a body portion with tapered major faces and a recess configured to receive a thumb, allowing for secure grip and reduced center of gravity, enhancing both ergonomic handling and shelf stability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If the bottle has a large volume to contain personal care composition, then the bottle capacity is improved, but the bottle becomes heavy and difficult to hold securely
Solution Approach 1:
The bottle features a recess in one of its faces that is specifically designed to receive a user's thumb. This local structural modification creates an ergonomic grip area that distributes the weight of the heavy, large-volume bottle, making it easier to hold securely despite the increased capacity and weight.
2Ease of manufacture
If the bottle outer surface is smooth for easy manufacturing, then the manufacturing process is simplified, but the bottle becomes slippery when wet and difficult to grip
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of making the entire bottle surface rough or textured, the invention introduces a localized recess feature that provides grip enhancement only where needed - in the area where the user's thumb naturally contacts the bottle. This maintains smooth surfaces elsewhere for easy manufacturing while providing secure grip where required.
Solution Approach 2:
The recess features curved surfaces that conform to the shape of a human thumb, creating a comfortable and secure grip area. The curved geometry provides mechanical interlocking with the thumb, preventing the bottle from slipping when wet, while still being formable through standard molding processes.
3Device complexity
If the bottle has a cylindrical shape for simple design, then the design complexity is reduced, but the bottle lacks shelf stability and may fall over
Solution Approach 1:
The bottle features an asymmetric recess on one of its faces, breaking the perfect cylindrical symmetry. This asymmetric feature serves dual purposes: it provides ergonomic thumb reception for secure handling, and it creates a stable resting position on shelves by preventing the bottle from rolling freely, thereby improving shelf stability without significantly increasing design complexity.
4Adaptability or versatility
If the bottle is used in humid environments like shower, then the bottle is more convenient for personal care use, but the wet surface increases the risk of accidental dropping
Solution Approach 1:
The recess provides a localized grip enhancement area that maintains secure holding capability even when the bottle surface is wet. By concentrating the grip-enhancing geometry in the thumb reception area, the design ensures reliable handling in humid shower environments without requiring the entire surface to have anti-slip properties.
Data Source
AI summary
A bottle (2) having a body portion (4) which comprises first and second major faces (22,24), each extending substantially along the length of the body portion, which are opposite to each other and mutually separated on opposite sides of a first central plane (P1-P1) of the bottle by a spacing (25), wherein the spacing decreases proceeding from the lower end (10) to a central portion (12) and from the central portion to the upper end (14). The bottle further comprises a recess (32) in the first major face (22), the recess being shaped to receive an adult human thumb, the recess having an open end (34) at the first side and a closed end (36) in the first major face, and the recess having a downwardly-oriented upper wall (38) extending between the open end and the closed end.