Collapsible Tissue Dispenser Structure for One-Handed Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional disposable sheet material packages require both hands to access the contents, are bulky and inconvenient for carrying, and pose environmental hazards, lacking portability and ease of use.
Innovation Solution
A disposable sheet material dispenser package with a collapsible design featuring flexible sidewalls, a collapsible top and bottom wall, and hinge features that allow it to be partially collapsed or seated in a recess, enabling one-handed use and increased portability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If conventional plastic bag packaging is used, then tissues are enclosed and protected, but both hands are required to remove tissues making it difficult to use when one hand is preoccupied
Solution Approach 1:
The packaging is divided into separate functional components: a rigid dispenser housing that provides structure and a flexible outer bag that contains the tissues. This segmentation allows the rigid portion to provide mechanical support for easy one-handed access while the flexible bag protects the tissues, resolving the contradiction between ease of operation and structural requirements
Solution Approach 2:
A drag feature or perforated membrane is introduced as an intermediary element between the tissue stack and the user. This intermediary provides controlled resistance that allows tissues to be pulled one at a time through the aperture, enabling easy one-handed operation without requiring the user to manually separate individual tissues from the stack
2Ease of operation
If rigid packages are used, then tissues are protected and structured, but the packages are bulky and inconvenient to carry
Solution Approach 1:
The flexible tissue-containing bag is nested within the rigid dispenser housing. When tissues are removed, the flexible bag collapses inward toward itself, allowing the package volume to decrease dynamically. This nesting arrangement provides structural protection when full but enables compact carrying as tissues are consumed, resolving the contradiction between protection and portability
Solution Approach 2:
The packaging transitions from a static rigid structure to a dynamic system where the flexible outer bag can collapse and change volume as tissues are removed. This dynamic behavior allows the package to maintain its protective rigid form when needed while automatically reducing to a compact portable size during use, eliminating the need for separate carrying configurations
3Ease of manufacture
If conventional packaging is used, then tissues are contained, but the packaging is hazardous to the environment
Solution Approach 1:
The material composition parameter of the packaging is changed from conventional plastic to flexible paperboard or other biodegradable materials. This parameter change maintains the functional requirements of containment and protection while fundamentally altering the environmental impact profile, allowing the package to be manufactured with similar simplicity but with reduced harmful effects
Data Source
AI summary
A novel sheet material dispenser package includes a first sidewall, a second sidewall, a collapsible top wall, a collapsible bottom wall, a first hinge feature, and a second hinge feature. A first side region of the first sidewall is coupled to a first region of the second sidewall via the first hinge feature and a second side region of the first sidewall is coupled to a second side region of the second sidewall via the second hinge feature. The top wall includes a first region coupled to the first sidewall and a second region coupled to the second sidewall. The bottom wall includes a first region coupled to the first sidewall and a second region coupled to the second sidewall. In a particular embodiment, the sheet material dispenser is a collapsible tissue dispenser adapted to sit in a cup holder when in a non-collapsed state and in a pocket when in a collapsed state.