Breathable Wrapping Material With Integrated Fasteners

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing wrapping materials for bales, such as plastic film and netting, fail to effectively manage moisture within baled crops, leading to spoilage due to trapped humidity and exposure to rain, and often require costly modifications to baling apparatuses when using sticky films.

Innovation Solution

A wrapping material with integrated fasteners, such as 'J', mushroom, or finger-shaped engaging elements that secure the tail end to the underlying or overlying segment, allowing for tight wrapping and breathability, preventing moisture accumulation and exposure.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Object-affected harmful factors

If impermeable plastic film wrap is used to protect bales from rain, then external moisture protection is improved, but internal moisture escape is blocked leading to spoilage

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveprotection from rainVSAvoidtrapped humidity causing spoilage

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSObject-generated harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent uses breathable wrapping material with porous structure that allows moisture vapor to pass through while blocking liquid water. The material's porosity enables selective permeability - permitting internal moisture escape as vapor while maintaining external rain protection, thus resolving the contradiction between moisture barrier and breathability requirements.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #31Porous materials

2Reliability

If sticky film is used to prevent unraveling of the bale, then wrapping security is improved, but feeding into the baler becomes difficult requiring costly modifications

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveprevention of unravelingVSAvoiddifficulty of feeding into baler

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts the sticky/tacky property from the entire wrapping material and concentrates it only in the fastening portion. This allows the majority of the wrapping material to be non-sticky and easily feedable into the baler, while still providing secure attachment through the localized fastening mechanism, thus resolving the contradiction between security and ease of manufacture.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent divides the wrapping material into distinct functional segments: a non-sticky breathable wrapping portion for coverage and moisture management, and a separate fastening portion with engaging elements for security. This segmentation allows each portion to optimize its specific function without the drawbacks of making the entire material sticky, resolving the feeding difficulty while maintaining wrapping security.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

3Ease of operation

If only a portion of the bale is covered with plastic film, then ease of wrapping is improved, but exposure to rain and ground moisture continues

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvepartial wrapping simplicityVSAvoidexposure to rain and ground moisture

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent uses flexible breathable wrapping material that can be easily applied to cover the entire bale surface. The material's flexibility and adaptability allow complete coverage while maintaining ease of operation, eliminating exposed areas that would otherwise be vulnerable to rain and ground moisture while preserving the simplicity of the wrapping process.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #30Flexible shells and thin films

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 ensures effective moisture management by allowing internal humidity to escape while securing the wrapping material tightly around the bale, reducing spoilage and eliminating the need for costly apparatus modifications.

Implementation Method 1

a fastener, i.e., at least one fastener is attached to a woven or non-woven wrapping material. Upon wrapping an item, each fastener cooperates with fiber elements of an underlying or overlying segment of the wrapping material to engage, lock, hold, or otherwise fasten the wrapping material tightly around the circumference of the item being wrapped

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectMechanical interlocking: Mechanical Fastener

Implementation Method 2

The breathable wrapping material allows moisture vapor to escape from the baled crop while preventing liquid water penetration

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectPermeation: Permeation

Implementation Method 3

breathable wrapping material that allows moisture vapor to escape from the baled crop while preventing liquid water penetration

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectHydrophobic effect: Hydrophobe

Data Source

PatentUS7636987B2Wrapping material with fastener

Publication Date: 2009.12.29 TAMA GRP

AI summary

A wrapping material for wrapping an item about its circumference having a plurality of wrapping portions forming a continuous roll. Each wrapping portion has a length that is greater than the circumference of an item to be wrapped with a width that is transverse to its length. Each of the wrapping portions include at least one fastener secured in an area there such that the continuous roll includes a plurality of serially disposed fasteners that are spaced from one another along the continuous roll. Each fastener includes a plurality of engaging elements for engaging a plurality of fiber elements of an underlying or overlying segment of a respective wrapping portion during a wrapping cycle. With this arrangement, the tail end of a respective wrapping portion will be secured by the plurality of engaging elements to the underlying or overlying segment at the end of a wrapping cycle.