Cardboard Package with Hinged Lids and Stiffening Members

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing cardboard packages for shipping personal hygiene products are complex, difficult to open and re-close, and often irreversibly damaged, requiring excessive packaging material and not environmentally friendly.

Innovation Solution

A unitarily formed cardboard package with hinged lid sections and U-shaped stiffening members that allows easy opening and re-closing, reduces the need for additional packaging, and is recyclable, providing stability and protection for the product during shipping.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If traditional cardboard packages with multiple components and sealing mechanisms are used, then product protection during shipping is improved, but ease of operation (opening and re-closing) deteriorates and device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveproduct protectionVSAvoidease of opening and re-closing
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The package is divided into a base section and a lid section that can be independently separated. The lid section includes first and second hinged lid sections that can be opened independently, allowing easy access to the product while maintaining structural integrity for protection during shipping.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The package incorporates hinged connections that allow the lid sections to dynamically move between closed (protective) and open (accessible) positions. This dynamic structure enables easy opening and re-closing operations while maintaining reliable product protection when closed.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

2Reliability

If traditional packages with excessive packaging material and multiple components are used, then product protection is improved, but packaging material usage increases and environmental sustainability deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveproduct protectionVSAvoidpackaging material
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The package integrates multiple functions into a single unified structure made from one piece of cardboard. The base section, lid sections, and protective elements are merged into one component, eliminating the need for separate packaging materials and reducing overall material usage while maintaining product protection.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The single-piece cardboard structure serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides product containment, structural protection during shipping, and an environmentally sustainable packaging solution. This multi-functional design reduces the need for additional protective materials.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

3Reliability

If traditional packages with complex sealing mechanisms are used, then product protection is improved, but device complexity increases and ease of manufacture deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveproduct protectionVSAvoidpackage structure complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The package structure is segmented into simple geometric sections (base section with bottom and lateral walls, lid sections with free edges) that can be easily formed from a single cardboard blank. This segmentation maintains product protection while simplifying the overall structure and manufacturing process.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Data Source

PatentEP2939942B1Package for storing a product
Publication Date: 2017.08.16 BRAUN GMBH
  • EP2939942B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2939942B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2939942B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A package unitarily formed from a cardboard blank for storing a product has a back wall, a first hinged lid section and a second hinged lid section to set the package in an open or a closed position. The first and the second hinged lid sections are opposite the back wall when the package is set in the closed position. Further, the package comprises a first pair of side walls which are arranged opposite each other and extend from the back wall. The first hinged lid section extends from one of the side walls of the first pair and the second hinged lid section extends from the other side wall of the first pair. Further, the package comprises a second pair of side walls which are arranged opposite each other and extend from the back wall. Each of the side walls of the second pair comprises an extension that forms a stiffening member. The stiffening members are U-shaped and comprise a base, a first leg and a second leg. The first and the second leg are arranged opposite each other and extend substantially perpendicular from the base. The first leg is attached to the back wall, and the second leg supports the first hinged lid section and the second hinged lid section when the package is set in the closed position. The back wall comprises at least one crease extending between the U-shaped stiffening members, and at each end of the crease an intersection is provided which extends from the crease to one of the hinged lid sections to provide an indentation when the package is set in the closed position.