Clamshell Carton With Slotted Lid Hinge for Reliable Closure
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing food containers, particularly those made of cardboard or paperboard, often have unreliable opening and closing mechanisms, leading to inconsistent functionality.
Innovation Solution
A clamshell carton with a slotted lid hinge, featuring a moveable joint with perforations or slits for easy separation, a front latch system, and slots along the hinge for secure closure, allowing reliable opening and closing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If cardboard or paperboard containers are used for food packaging, then they provide ease of manufacture and disposable functionality, but the covers and flaps do not open and close reliably
Solution Approach 1:
The container is divided into a body portion and a lid portion that can be separated. The hinge area includes slots that allow the lid to be detached from the body, enabling reliable opening and closing while maintaining simple construction. The segmentation allows independent optimization of each component's functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The hinge area is pre-formed with slots during manufacturing that guide the lid's movement and separation. The front latch feature is pre-positioned to automatically engage with the lid, ensuring reliable closure without requiring complex assembly or adjustment by the user.
2Reliability
If a secure closure mechanism is implemented to maintain closure integrity, then reliability improves, but ease of operation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The hinge mechanism transitions from a static rigid connection to a dynamic system with slots that allow controlled movement and separation. The lid can be easily lifted away from the body by following the slot path, while the front latch provides automatic securing when closed, achieving both reliability and ease of operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The front latch feature acts as an intermediary between the lid and body, providing automatic engagement to secure closure. The latch works in conjunction with the hinge slots to create a system that is both secure and easy to operate, as the latch automatically engages when the lid is placed on the body.
Data Source
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AI summary
A clamshell carton with a slotted lid hinge and method of using same. The clamshell carton may include a container body, which may include, a floor panel and a plurality of side panels extending about a periphery of the floor panel, the plurality of side panels may include a first side panel, a second side panel, and a rear side panel. The clamshell carton may further include a container lid a top panel, which may include a plurality of a lid side panels extending about a periphery of the top panel, the plurality of lid side panels may include a first lid side panel, a second lid side panel, and a rear lid side panel. The clamshell carton may further include a moveable joint formed between the rear side panel and the rear lid side panel, wherein the container lid may be connected to the container body by the moveable joint, and wherein the container lid may be configured to be movable between a closed position and an opened position; and one or more slots formed along the moveable joint