Clamping Carrying Handle for Damp Shrink-Wrapped Food Bags
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing carrying handles for shrink-wrapped food items, such as whole-bodied turkeys, are inadequate when the shrink wrap becomes damp, making handling difficult and prone to tearing, leading to spoilage.
Innovation Solution
A carrying handle with flexible arms and a clamping ring that secures around the shrink wrap near the retaining clip, featuring protrusions to prevent slipping and twisting, and a strengthening element for added strength.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If one grasps the sides of the shrink-wrapped carcass to handle it, then the handling process is simple, but the shrink wrap becomes prone to tearing when damp and the carcass becomes difficult to handle
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a carrying handle as an intermediary tool between the user and the shrink-wrapped carcass. The handle attaches to the wrap and provides a secure gripping point, eliminating the need to grasp the wrap directly. This mediator approach allows users to handle the carcass without compromising wrap integrity, even when damp.
Solution Approach 2:
The carrying handle is divided into separate functional components: a gripping portion for user interaction, flexible arms for flexibility, and a clamping ring for attachment. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized for its specific function while working together to solve the handling problem without tearing the wrap.
2Ease of operation
If a carrying handle is applied by drawing an opening in the handle around the shrink wrapping, then the handle allows easy carrying, but the handle structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple functions into a single integrated carrying handle structure. The gripping portion, flexible arms, and clamping ring are combined in one unit that performs all necessary functions: providing a grip, allowing flexibility for attachment, and securing to the wrap. This consolidation reduces overall system complexity while maintaining ease of operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The flexible arms are designed as thin, flexible structures that can bend and conform to the wrap shape while maintaining structural integrity. This use of flexible thin films allows the handle to adapt to the wrap without requiring complex rigid structures, simplifying the overall design while enabling easy carrying.
3Strength
If the clamping ring has protrusions to grip the neck portion, then the grip strength increases, but the manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses protrusions with specific geometric parameters (height, spacing, shape) that can be manufactured using standard molding techniques. By optimizing these parameters within reasonable tolerances, the design achieves strong grip without requiring extremely tight manufacturing precision. The protrusions are designed to be robust enough to accommodate normal manufacturing variations.
Data Source
AI summary
An improved carrying handle is provided for carrying bagged or shrink-wrapped food items such as whole-bodied turkeys, for example. The carrying handle can have increased strength, improvements in terms of facilitating carrying by a user and slide and twist prevention to prevent a clamping ring of the carrying handle from being forced off of the bag and/or from twisting relative to a neck portion of the bag or shrink wrap after the handle has been attached to the bag or shrink wrap.