Collapsible Food Packaging With Non-Return Valve
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing packaging solutions for food products, especially those in liquid or solid form, fail to effectively prevent air from entering the container, which can lead to spoilage, and do not facilitate efficient recycling due to their design.
Innovation Solution
A collapsible packaging made from a single sheet of material, featuring a specific pattern of bending lines that allows the container to be folded inward and outward, incorporating a non-return valve in the outlet pipe to prevent air ingress and a recessed design for reduced material overlap, enabling efficient storage and recycling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the container is opened to empty it, then the contents can be removed, but air flows inside and affects the quality of the contents
Solution Approach 1:
A one-way valve is introduced as an intermediary component in the outlet pipe that allows air to escape during filling but prevents air from entering during storage and emptying. The valve acts as a mediator between the internal and external environments, selectively controlling gas flow to maintain content quality while enabling operational functions.
2Volume of moving object
If the container is folded for storage after emptying, then volume is reduced for recycling, but the structure requires complex bending lines and material configuration
Solution Approach 1:
The container structure is segmented into distinct functional zones through strategically placed bending lines: vertical bending lines divide the side walls, horizontal bending lines separate the base and roof sections, and diagonal bending lines create foldable triangular panels. This segmentation enables systematic folding while maintaining structural integrity and simplifying the recycling process.
Solution Approach 2:
The container transitions from a three-dimensional rectangular prism to a two-dimensional flat configuration through coordinated folding along multiple bending lines. The triangular roof panels and rectangular base sections fold flat against each other, reducing the volume from a bulky 3D structure to a compact 2D package suitable for efficient storage and recycling.
3Reliability
If multilayer material is used for packaging, then protection and durability are improved, but material overlap increases and complicates recycling
Solution Approach 1:
The container employs multilayer material construction with different material properties in different regions: the base and side walls use materials optimized for structural strength and stacking, while the triangular roof panels use materials optimized for folding and compression. This local differentiation of material quality allows the container to achieve both durability during use and ease of folding for recycling.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
The subject of this invention is a collapsible packaging (1) designed for food product storage provided with folding lines in which vertical side-wall bending lines (15a, 15b) run along the whole height of the sheet (10) of the collapsible packaging (1), and horizontal base bending line (13) runs along the whole width of the sheet (10) of the collapsible packaging (1), whilst a bottom bending line (18), being an inward bending line of the collapsible packaging (1) is formed at the junction of the fold (6) from the base (5) of the collapsible packaging (1) and the extensions of the main walls (2a, 2b) and side walls (3a, 3b).