Glue-Free Cigarette Tray with Interlocking Side Tabs
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cigarette pack designs face challenges in creating a stable, three-dimensional structure for cigarette groups without using glue connections, while ensuring protection against mechanical and thermal stress during packaging and use.
Innovation Solution
A cup-shaped tray design with side tabs connected glue-free, using interlocking hooking elements and punchings to form a stable structure, where the rear wall and side flaps are fixed in position through connecting tabs, and corner flaps stabilize the unit during folding.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If glue connections are used to assemble the tray, then the structural stability is improved, but the manufacturing complexity and environmental friendliness deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the chemical bonding system (glue connections) with a mechanical interlocking system. The side flaps are designed with hooking elements that engage with corresponding features on adjacent flaps, creating a mechanically self-locking structure that eliminates the need for adhesive materials and complex gluing processes.
Solution Approach 2:
The tray structure is designed to self-assemble through the interlocking mechanism of the side flaps. The hooking elements and engagement features are configured such that the flaps naturally lock together when folded into the final configuration, eliminating the need for external assembly aids or complex manufacturing steps.
2Ease of manufacture
If a one-piece blank is used for the tray, then the manufacturing process is simplified, but the structural stability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The one-piece blank is strategically segmented with fold lines and cutouts that create distinct functional zones. The side flaps are separated by punchings that allow them to fold independently while maintaining connection to the base, enabling the structure to achieve three-dimensional stability from a single flat blank without requiring multiple assembled parts.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transforms a two-dimensional flat blank into a three-dimensional stable structure through strategic folding and interlocking. The side flaps are designed to fold upward and lock together, creating vertical walls and corners that provide structural stability while originating from a single planar blank.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the tray structure is made more complex to ensure stability, then the structural stability is improved, but the ease of assembly deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The interlocking mechanism is designed to be self-actuating during assembly. As the side flaps are folded into their final positions, the hooking elements automatically engage with the corresponding features on adjacent flaps, creating a self-locking action that requires no additional assembly steps or tools while maintaining structural stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The hooking elements and engagement features are pre-configured in the flat blank design with precise geometries and positions. This preliminary arrangement ensures that when the flaps are folded, the interlocking components align and engage automatically, simplifying the assembly process while guaranteeing structural stability.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~6b
Figure 7
AI summary
For certain cigarette pack designs, especially foil-sealed packs, a group of cigarettes (15) is partially surrounded by an internal support element in the form of a tray (16). This tray consists of a front wall (17), a bottom wall (18), a back wall (19), and side flaps (20, 21). Interlocking and counter-tabs (29, 30) in the area of the side flaps (20, 21) serve to connect the flaps (20, 21) without adhesive by means of a form-fit and/or force-fit mutual engagement.